Things You See In A Graveyard
by EmengeeCupcake
Summary: What if Mag had found out about Shiloh before she signed her own death warrant? What if Shiloh really DID have a blood disease? Things might have been drastically different... The Final Chapter is up, Read it or I will sick Pavi on you! Muahahaha! lol
1. Chapter 1

Almost all of the Repo! fan stories I have seen deal with the aftermath of the opera, but what if things had been different from the get go? What if Mag had found out about Shiloh the day before she told Rotti that she was calling it quits? What if Shiloh really did have a blood disease? Things might have been drastically different.

UPDATE!!!: I HAVE MADE A TRAILER FOR THIS STORY, CHECK OUT MY PROFILE TO FIND THE LINK!

Disclaimer: The characters and locations (it makes my heart sad to admit it) are not mine, I can only lay claim on the plot. Please be patient and read more than just the first paragraph, it gets better, I promise!

Author Note: This chapter would not look as good as it does without the help of my awesome new Beta, Tawnyleaf! Lets give this wonderful person a round of applause!

Things You See in a Graveyard

Chapter 1: Things You See in a Graveyard/Legal Assassin

The years after Marni and Shiloh's death had been torture for Mag. Nathan had shut her out of his life after their deaths and spending almost two decades alone jumping through hoops and singing on command had left her a shell of the woman she used to be. She knew that while her voice had never sounded better, her spirit was shattered and she felt lost within herself. It had been almost five years since she had visited the graves of her best friend and god daughter, and it was time for her to say her goodbyes. Tomorrow she would tell Rotti that she was finished being the Voice of Geneco.

Despite the fact that she was bringing a death sentence onto herself, Mag had never felt so free, a smile present on her face where before there had only been a blank mask. The journey to the graveyard had never been a happy affair, but Mag felt joy as she walked through the gates. Her endless torture would end soon. She had nothing to live for here.

Mag walked through the graveyard in a trance, passing the stone angels that had fallen into disrepair and weaving through the broken gravestones. She made her way to the only grave still in perfect condition, a maintenance price she paid to make sure that Marni and Shiloh rested in peace. As she approached the mausoleum she heard a muffled voice speaking softly. The voice was too low to make out from where she was standing, so Mag stepped closer and peered through the small barred window. From where she was standing now she could make out a young girl sitting in the shadows, her long black hair covering most of her face and almost obscuring the book she was reading aloud from. She pressed her hands against the door just as a sharp metallic voice filled the room.

"Medicine Reminder! Medicine Reminder!" The girl jumped and smacked at the communicator on her wrist, only to answer an incoming call. The voice that filled the little room nearly stopped Mag's heart. The past few years had not taken the ability to recognize Nathan's voice.

"Shiloh?"

At Nathan's question panicked look crossed the young girls face and she hesitantly answered. "Yes Dad?"

"Did you take your medicine?" he demanded.

"Yes." The girl quickly answered back.

Mag couldn't believe her ears! She pressed herself closer to the door, straining to hear the rest of the conversation. Nathan sounded a little worried as he asked if he should come home, Shiloh paled at the suggestion.

"No I'm Fine!" she insisted "Stay at work, your patients need you."

Her father became consoling. "I will come home when I'm done"

Shiloh insisted that he not rush and that she would be fine. Nathan sighed and told her he would be home in an hour and disconnected the call.

Shiloh quickly picked up her book and a mask and ran over to the mural at the back of the room, calling a goodbye over her shoulder to her mother's tomb. To Mag's surprise, a panel opened in the wall and Shiloh dashed through it into the hidden passageway. Mag watched the painting slide back into place and took a step back from the door, bumping into one of the patrolling guards. After a tense moment where the guard waved his gun around, he recognized Mag and she was able to leave the cemetery unharmed. She quickly got into her limo and was driven back to her home, trying to process what had happened.

After all these years, Shiloh was still alive, and that gave Mag hope. She could deal with her gilded cage as long as she had something to live for, and her trip to the cemetery had given her a very good reason. But the thought of Nathan's lie caused a lump to form in her throat. After everything they had been through together, he did not trust her enough to tell her that her godchild was alive.

The home in which Mag lived was a comfortable place, and while the location was undesirable, over the years she had made her small cottage a home. When Mag had first signed her contract she had been given a house on the Largo Estate, and when she gained her eyesight she found the grounds to be beautiful. Over the years the manicured beauty had not diminished, but her perspective on that beauty had. The grounds were now filled with shadows, Rotti's henchmen patrolling the grounds at all hours, and his horrible children fighting over their pathetic little lives sharpened the darkness around the estate.

oOOo

Shiloh had rushed home as quickly as possible, but still only beat her father home by minutes. She had barely choked down the pills that kept her blood disease under control when her father walked through the front door and called out to her. Shiloh quickly pushed the plastic aside from her bedpost and climbed under the covers just as her father knocked on her bedroom door.

"How are you feeling today sweetheart?" He asked.

"I'm doing just fine" she replied, trying desperately to control her breathing so that her father would not suspect anything. Nathan smiled wearily at his daughter. He was not fooled.

"Shiloh, if you wanted to visit your mother you could have told me. I would have taken you to visit after work."

Shiloh had the decency to look guilty, but she quickly insisted that a girl needed her privacy when speaking to her mother. Nathan made her promise that she would call him if she decided to take a trip to the cemetery while he was out again; he hated knowing that he could lose her at any moment. After their small heart to heart Nathan left Shiloh to make them some dinner.

The long hours Rotti made him work had taken their toll on Nathan; it seemed he had permanent circles under his bloodshot eyes. He pulled off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt as he walked down the stairs, stopping as always to greet the portrait of his long dead wife.

"She is growing up to look just like you." He whispered as he gazed into the hologram's eyes. Shaking his head slightly, Nathan walked into the kitchen. He pulled out some leftovers and popped them into the oven. His job was highly demanding, Rotti's calls came at all hours of the night and gave him little time to cook, but he always made sure that there would be food in the house if Shiloh got hungry.

After watching Shiloh eat only a portion of her dinner, Nathan was forced once again to realize that he was slowly losing his daughter. Her sickness had forced him to ignore his own needs, and his own health was fading too. He often wondered if it made him a horrible person to wish that his daughter would lose her battle before he did, for there was no one in the world that he trusted to look after his little girl. Shaking the disturbing thoughts from his head he wished his daughter goodnight and locked up the house; the dishes could wait until tomorrow.

Nathan got three hours of sleep before his communicator went off.

oOOo

Unable to lie staring at her ceiling any longer, Mag pulled herself out of bed around five in the morning. Sleep had eluded her for the better part of the night. Somewhere around 12:00 she has managed to fall asleep for a few moments, and she had dreamed of Nathan and the conversation they had the day Marni died.

The actual conversation eluded her except for the fact that it involved Nathan throwing things and breaking down in her arms. The sorrow she had felt flashed through her mind, but it was quickly replaced by anger at Nathan's deception. It would take a long time for her to get past her anger at him for withholding Shiloh's existence. When she had first climbed into bed her grief had threatened to tear her apart. She had lost everything the night that Marni died, and finding Shiloh had ripped open old wounds.

For the most part, Mag spent the night crying into her pillow and hugging her arms around herself, trying desperately to hold it together. Shaking the nightmares of her past would never be something she could do, but Mag knew she could be there for Shiloh. Maybe, if he would let her, she could be there for Nathan too.

Pulling on her dressing gown, Mag walked out of her bedroom and into the hallway. On her way to the kitchen, she ran her fingers along the ends of the picture frames, and paused to look at one of them.

It was a picture of Marni's ultrasound that was taken the day they found out that Shiloh was a girl. Marni had been so proud and had immediately asked Mag to be the godmother of her unborn child. Stopping short of having Mag sign her promise with her own blood, Mag promised that she would be a part of Shiloh's life. Even though Nathan had kept her out for almost seventeen years, she refused to break her promise.

When Mag reached the kitchen she put on a kettle for tea, hoping that it would calm her down enough so she could try to get a few hours of sleep before her meeting with Rotti.

Rotti Largo was a man never to get involved with. Mag had learned that the hard way once she had the chance to really look over the contract she had signed so foolishly. She had believed his promises so easily. Mag had spent hours looking over the contract for a loophole that would end her torment. Once Marni had passed on, Rotti became the worst sort of monster.

Marni had left Rotti for Nathan after Mag had introduced them, but Rotti never gave up on her and often blamed Mag for Marni's leaving him. He had stalked Marni, fired Nathan, and had even threatened repossession on Mag's eyes to get Marni back. But nothing had worked. So after Marni had left him Rotti had tightened his grip on Mag, and only after breaking down in his office 16 years ago as she told him that Marni and her unborn child had died did he leave her alone. She had spent the past years fulfilling her obligations to Rotti as he chose her music, her friends, and even potential partners. This resulted in her not having any friends, and she had not been on a date in over 13 years because of all the restrictions.

Mag was at a loss as to what she was going to tell Rotti in their meeting. She had told him that she needed to speak with him the day before her discovery of Shiloh, and since she did have a reason to stay alive, she could not tell him what she had been so desperate to scream. Casting about for anything she could say, she spied her sheet music sitting on the piano. Suddenly she was struck with an idea.

Rotti had not chosen the music for the next concert yet, and she had wanted to sing her own material for years. She picked a piece from the folder and played it slowly, running her hands over the ivory keys while closing her eyes and letting the music wash over her. The song was quite dark, too dark for the mood she was in. Mag opened her eyes and looked down at the song she had been playing, feeling the need to make changes to the piece before she went any further. By the time she finished working on it the piece had taken on a new feel, becoming a soft and flowing melody. She gathered the piece up as well as a few others that she wanted to sing and left her cottage, quickly making the long walk from her home to the Main house.

Fortunately for her, Rotti was in a good mood and gamely told her that he would listen to her music and then make his decision. She began with the song she had worked that morning, her voice rising and falling as she sang of an ending love. Rotti listened without expression but Mag was not deterred, she just pulled out the next piece and played the melody on the piano. She played several more pieces before Rotti held up his hand, he had heard enough.

"This music is quite different than anything you have performed in public." The look on Rotti's face made her interrupt him.

"I would, of course, include some classical pieces." She assured him. Rotti looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Alright. You may sing a few of your own compositions, but I am the one who will pick them. But, just to be clear, if the crowd doesn't like them, don't ask me to allow you to do this again."

Mag made the agreement and left his office, her spirits lifted for the first time by the prospect of singing for Geneco.

oOOo

Nathan watched Mag float past him as he hid in the shadows. He had come to deliver the kidneys to Rotti personally, and while he had been waiting to speak with him, he had been able to hear Mag sing through the doors. Hearing her voice again was like a jolt into his memories, some pleasant, and some not. He didn't like it. Nathan watched Mag walk out the front door and slowly drew in a breath; he could never let her see what he had become.

Rotti became animated once he saw Nathan standing in the hall, feeling a small amount of satisfaction when he noticed the circles under his eyes. Inside Rotti was ecstatic, his torment of Nathan was his favorite pastime.

"How is your little Shiloh?" He asked as he placed himself behind his desk, indicating that Nathan should take the chair in front of him. "She would be 16 years old, correct?"

Nathan grimaced and played his part. Once the pleasantries were over with, Nathan popped the lock on his bag and brought out the kidneys of one of Rotti's personal enemies. A normal repossession would include Nathan dropping the organs with one of the Genterns and heading home, but this was a personal mark and Rotti wanted the satisfaction of holding his enemy's life in his hands.

"Is there anything else I need to do before I head home? Shiloh hasn't been feeling well."

Rotti knew only too well what was making Shiloh sick. He had been watching her for some time while looking for ammunition against Nathan. Despite the fact that Shiloh was Nathan's child, Rotti felt that he should take care of her as if she had been his own. In his mind, if Nathan had never stolen Marni, she would have been. Rotti waved his hand at Nathan and went back to a chart that had been placed on his desk, dismissal obvious in the way he glowered at the paper.

Nathan wasted no time in leaving the office and heading home. Shiloh needed him.

Rotti grew angry as he looked at the papers in the file; his doctor apparently had been right about the liver disease. It was a pity that he had felt the need to get a second opinion, he thought as he pushed the good doctor's kidneys into the garbage chute.

oOOo

Shiloh sat at her piano absentmindedly plucking her favorite Blind Mag song while she brainstormed the next bridge on the piece she was working on. Her single-minded determination to write a song a day was a constant struggle, and she often tired out after a few hours and had to take a break before she could finish. The piece in question was a song that had started out as a whisper in her dreams and evolved into a swirling whirlwind of music, each note flowing effortlessly into the next. The melody always stirred a response out of anyone who heard it, and the meaning was clear to anyone who really listened. Each piece of music she wrote shared a part of herself that she kept away from the world.

Her musing was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house and she quickly moved from her place at the piano to pull back the curtains and look down at the vehicle parked in front of the gate. Shiloh watched as the rear window lowered, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was staring up at the house, but it was too dark in the car to see anything. The widow went back up after a minute and the car pulled away just as her father rounded the corner, the sound of the old engine startling her after the quiet purr of the vehicle before it. Shiloh shook aside the feeling of being watched and pushed her hair out of her eyes, deciding not to mention the stranger staring at the house. Her father had enough to deal with as it was, and worrying about something that could be nothing was not something he needed.

oOOo

Mag did not know what had possessed her to drive by Nathans home, and now she felt foolish staring up at the house. She shook her head sadly and rolled the car window up. After instructing the driver to drop her off at her studio, she leaned back and thought about what she would say when she finally confronted Nathan. She would do it soon; Mag had spent too many years in the dark and wanted to know everything about her goddaughter.

The day spent in the studio was a productive one; Mag had worked on several new songs and had high hopes that Rotti would like what he heard. Night fell quickly over the city and the bottom-dwellers started to emerge from the shadows, causing it to become sinister and even more dangerous than it had been in the daylight.

The wait for her car to pull around was taking much longer than usual so Mag left the security of the building to check and see what was wrong. Sounds of a struggle in the alleyway next to the building drew Mag's attention and she rushed over. She almost screamed as she realized that she was watching a repossession in progress. The struggle between the Repo Man and her driver quickly ended with a flash of silver and thin red line of blood. Mag made a small noise of shock as the blood splatters hit her arms and neck. Scared to death, she tried to slowly she back away from the scene in front of her. But, the noise drew the attention of the Repo Man from his victim. He had worked quickly, and as he stood up to pursue her not a second later, she saw that he was placing what looked like a bloody lung into his bag.

Mag spun and rushed around the building, praying that she would make it back into the studio before the Repo Man reached her. She pushed past a small crowd of Zydrate zombies in her frantic rush to be inside, and Mag heard him knock over a few of them in his attempt to get at her. The interference had given her the time she needed to get into the building and activate the security shields. She collapsed into a chair in the lobby and gasped, trying not to cry. Repo Men never came after someone unless they were targeted for repossession or had tried to assist the target to escape. Mag had done neither.

Even after all of these years her first instinct was to call Nathan, but reason made her call Rotti and get him to call off his hound. After a brief conversation, Rotti made the call and sent his own personal driver to pick Mag up, promising to have a new driver with no threat of repossession in his future ready for her the next day.

When she arrived home she spent an hour under the spray of her shower scrubbing her body to rid it of all traces of blood. Only once she had climbed into bed did she break down and sob for the man who had died today. Looking back, Mag found that she had spent an awful lot of time crying lately.

oOOo

Nathan had cornered his mark, completely aware that the man was Mag's driver and friend. Rotti had called him not long after he had gotten home, the harsh quality of his voice making Nathan wince when he realized just who it was that he was going after. The target had put up a fight at first, making enough noise to draw an audience, but Nathan quickly disposed of the man. He heard a soft cry and the sound of someone backing away, but he ignored it until he had taken the dead man's lung.

Once he stood up, he looked at the woman that had stepped into the alley; the first think he noticed was a thin red line where the force of his slice at the dead man's throat had splattered against her arms and neck. His second observation was that this was Mag, and she was terrified. Forgetting that he was a Repo Man for a moment, Nathan took a step towards Mag to comfort her, only to have her spin and run away. Nathan charged after her, but, when he rounded the corner he ran into a herd of drugged up bottom-dwellers and lost sight of her. In his frenzy to get to her, he even knocked over a few. After shaking himself free of the zombie-like addicts, he regained sight of her just as she was disappearing into the studio. He could hear the click of the locks on the doors from where he was standing. Cursing at his stupidity he quickly left the area, making a quick stop at one of the organ facilities to drop off the lung to the Genterns before going home to check on Shiloh.

oOOo

The next day came upon both Mag and Nathan far sooner than they would have liked, both resisting the call to get out of bed.

Mag had spent most of her night trapped in nightmares of the Repo Man chasing her, but when he cornered her, he somehow morphed into Nathan. She climbed wearily out of bed and got dressed;, deciding that she would make a quick visit to Marni to talk about her nightmares.

They had met years before when they had to share a dorm in the posh boarding school their parents had sent them too (mostly, so they could go on acting like the children they were). The first night in the new dorms had terrified Mag. It was an unfamiliar place where many of the girls had viciously tripped or lead her into things. The stress had taken its toll on her and induced nightmares.

Marni had been her roommate and had calmed her fears; holding her hands and listening to her nightmares. The fact that some of her so called friends would pick on a blind girl enraged Marni, and she promised to always be there when Mag needed her. It didn't take long for Mag to get the hang of things at school, but Marni's friendship had helped more than Marni would ever know.

Mag pulled on her robe and wandered into the bathroom to clean herself up.

'Going to bed with wet hair had definitely been a bad idea.' She thought as she ran her fingers through the crazy curls that went down to her waist. It was a definite change from the usual sleek waves Rotti had decided fit her image. Mag became thoughtful as she tried to tame her hair into a semblance of order; if Rotti hated it curly then that was exactly how she was going to wear it today. She made her way into her bedroom and pulled out a pair of jeans and a faded black t-shirt, Rotti would have a fit!

oOOo

Nathan had spend most of his night in pain, his worry quickly taking what was left of his health and making him even more aware that he was giving himself an early expiration date. He had put off telling Shiloh about his work for long enough; he would have to find the strength to tell her today.

Nathan put on his housecoat and made his way across the hall to Shiloh's bedroom, knocking softly before entering. Shiloh had been awake and at her piano for hours, the song in her head finally emerging onto the paper before her. Her father leaned over her shoulder and read what she had written down, but the beauty of the piece eluded him until he asked her to play it. She obliged and placed her hands on the keys, closing her eyes before starting her song. Shiloh's timid voice rose above the melody, weaving in and out of it to show her father what was in her heart.

After she finished playing the piece her father decided it was time. He would not hold anything back from her any longer, especially when she mattered the most to him in the whole world. He sat down next to Shiloh and looked at her, her dark hair falling in a wavy curtain between them.

"Shiloh, there is no easy way to tell you this," he told her, taking her thin hands into his own, "and I'm sorry now that I haven't told you before. I thought I could keep this from you, but you've grown up overnight, and I can't keep the truth from you anymore." He said as he squeezed her hands gently between his.

Shiloh looked up at him in disbelief, noticing for the first time how thin her father had become. Shiloh swallowed the lump in her throat

"What is it?"

"I am the reason your mother is dead." He said closing his eyes.

Shiloh's breath hitched as her eyes filled with tears.

"Your mother was sick. She had caught a cold during one of our evening walks and she couldn't shake it. I gave her medicine for it but she didn't get any better. She spent the last month of her pregnancy in bed." He paused for a moment before continuing. "The day you were born she spent a few hours with her best friend Maggie. I had been working and didn't like leaving your mother home by herself when it was that close. Maggie had left the house to go to work, and I got the call while I was in the middle of surgery. I rushed home as soon as I was finished but by the time I got home it was too late. Your mother was fading fast and I had to make the choice. I saved you that day, but I killed your mother."

Tears streamed down his face and his voice turned rough.

"Rotti Largo dropped by just after I had delivered you, he walked into the house and found Marni dead and you crying in my arms. He had been engaged to your mother for a while before she broke it off with him and he never let it go. When he saw your mother's dead body and the blood covering me he offered me a choice. I could either go to jail for murder and leave you to be given away, or I could work for him. For the last 16 years I have been a Repo Man on his request. He said that if I could butcher my wife I could use that talent to serve the man who kept my family together."

Shiloh jerked her hands from his and stood up, betrayal in her eyes and unshed tears twinkling in the light. She backed up and ran into her bedroom door, clenching her fists she watched as her father looked sadly at the piano keys.

"You look just like her."

Shiloh's nails dug into her palms, most of what she knew of her mother had been written in her journal.

"Why now?! Why are you telling me this?" Shiloh demanded, feeling a sharp pain as her nails broke into her skin.

"You don't have much time; I didn't want you to die before I told you everything." He whispered. Shiloh looked at him in horror and ran out of her bedroom, adrenalin assisting her as she sprinted down the stairs and ran out the front door.

"Shiloh!" Nathan yelled as he ran after her, but by the time he managed to get to the front door, Shiloh had made it through the gate and down the street.

oOOo

The walk to the graveyard had been uneventful for Mag. The only bit of trouble she had was when she nearly tripped over a vandalized grave. She enjoyed the walk, breathing in the fresh air that the purifiers struggled to put out, and thinking about her almost encounter with Shiloh. Her thoughts turned dark though, and she found herself thinking about the way that the Repo Man had come towards her the night before.

Feeling brave that morning, she had replayed the encounter with her digital corneas. Forcing herself to watch, she noticed that the Repo Man had not come at her in anger. His eyes had been caring as he had walked towards her, almost as if he wanted to comfort her. She had seen the same look on Nathan's face after Rotti had threatened her with repossession.

Her thoughts became a tangled mess when she thought of Nathan. She remembered how hard her heart had been pounding when she saw the look on his face when she came back to the house that day. His words slurred together as he fought to speak clearly through his drunken rage. He had yelled the news at the top of his lungs, telling her that Marni was dead and then collapsing into her arms sobbing. Something had changed though when she asked about the baby. He had become very rough with her, grabbing her arms and almost literally throwing her out. Mag could not blame him for his anger, but when he spat out "Shiloh is dead!" as he slammed the door in her face, she had walked away and not tried to contact him again.

Mag had been at the mausoleum for a few minutes when she heard someone running in her direction. She jerked her head up and was shocked to see Shiloh with tears in her eyes. The path the girl was taking would take her right over the scattered pieces of a tombstone, the same pieces that Mag had nearly tripped over when she had entered the graveyard. Mag quickly stood up from her seat on the steps and caught the girl as she tripped over a piece of rubble, softening the landing as the force of her fall knocked them both onto their knees. Shiloh wiped her eyes on her sleeve and apologized for into running into her, wincing as Mag helped her to her feet.

"I am so sorry." She apologized as she brushed dirt off of her knees, keeping her gaze on the ground. Mag stared at the girl, her heart aching as she looked upon the one person who would have made the last 16 years different. Shiloh shuffled her feet and apologized again, keeping her tear stained face pointed towards the ground, her dark hair acting as a shield between them.

Realizing that she had been staring Mag quickly replied, "It's okay, really," she said, closely studying the girl for injury "are you hurt?" Shiloh's eyes snapped up to meet Mag's.

"I'm fine"she insisted, and took a step towards her mother's grave. Mag turned towards the mausoleum and then looked back at Shiloh. The girl looked as if she were about to take off at any second. "Did you know her?" Shiloh asked, waving her hand towards the tomb. "Marni Wallace, I mean."

Mag sighed and walked forward to place a lily at the door. "I did." She replied. Shiloh opened her mouth as if to say something else when sounds of running clattered across the graveyard and Nathan came into view. Shiloh balked at his approach, and Mag could practically feel the girl's feelings of distrust and anger radiating from Shiloh's body.

Shiloh didn't know how she would ever be able to trust her father again.

Mag stepped forward and took Nathan's attention from Shiloh, forcing him to acknowledge her for the first time in over a decade and a half.

"Maggie?" He asked, taking in her crazy curls and blue jeans. She looked much like the blind young woman who had stolen his heart so long ago, even before Marni had. His encounter with Mag last night had awakened even more memories for him, many of which he felt ashamed of. Most of them made him feel as if he were betraying his wife.

Memories of their youth flashed through his head; the nights spent laying in the field behind his house talking about nothing, swimming together in the lake and sharing their first kiss while celebrating Nathan's acceptance into medical school. Their relationship had fizzled out halfway through her senior year; he had been halfway through medical school when they decided to call it quits. Two years later Mag had introduced him to Marni, wishing them the best while she recuperated from her surgery.

Nathan shook his head and forced the memories away, making himself say something to her. "Get out of the way Maggie, this doesn't concern you" he growled.

"Maggie?" Shiloh whispered. "Are you the same Maggie that was my mom's friend?"

Mag turned back to the girl, about to say something, but Shiloh cut her off.

"Why don't I know you?" Shiloh questioned in a broken voice. Nathan grew angry and stepped forward.

"Stay away from her" he hissed. Mag ignored Nathan's demand and glared at him, her eyes flashing as she snapped.

"You told me Shiloh died." She spat at him. Nathan could not believe that this was happening, he had not had the chance to tell Shiloh anything about the woman before him and he knew that this conversation had just gone from bad to worse. "How could you lie to me?" She asked, anger coloring her tone.

"I did what was necessary to keep her safe." He said and pushed past Mag to grab Shiloh's arm and not-so-gently tugging her away from Mag and in the direction of the house.

"Dad let go!" Shiloh yelped as she struggled against him. "Please don't make me leave!" Nathan ignored her protests and pulled her out of the graveyard, only stopping to push the gate open with his free hand.

"Nathan let her go!" Mag called as she rushed after them, her anger giving her the strength to pull Shiloh out of his grip. Shiloh ducked behind Mag and cradled her arm to her chest; her father's grip had hurt more than she thought it would. Shiloh started to panic as she watched her father step forward again, her communicator blaring to life with a warning she had heard several times before.

"Blood Pressure Warning! Medicate Immediately".

Nathan paled and jerked forward, but Mag was closer and was able to catch the girl as she blacked out. The last thing Shiloh remembered was begging Mag not to leave.

oOOo

Nathan stepped forward and gently took his daughter into his arms, she was hardly breathing.

"Help me get her home." He said to Mag as he started walking down the street. Mag hurried to follow and pushed open the gate to the front yard, pausing as she held it open and then running ahead of him to open the front door. Finding it locked she cursed and looked at Nathan.

"It's above the door." He grunted as he shifted Shiloh, slight as she was it was still dead weight. Mag stood on her tiptoes and reached above the door jam, catching the key as she knocked it down from its place. She pushed open the door and held it open for Nathan to pass through, following him up the stairs and into a bedroom. Nathan gently set Shiloh down on her bed and turned to the table next to it, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a syringe.

"She must have forgotten to take her medicine this morning. She forgets things when she is composing. She reminds me of you that way." He said, carefully injecting the drugs into Shiloh's arm. "She could go all day without eating and not realize it until after she has finished her music."

Mag watched from her place by the door as Nathan covered Shiloh with a worn quilt and pulled the drapes closed on her windows, silently observing him. He waved her out of the room as he pulled the door closed behind him, leading her silently down the stairs and into the sitting room.

Author Note: The songs in this chapter are, in Mag's case, the title track from Sarah Brightman's album Symphony. The song that Shiloh sang for her father was 'Slow Me Down' by Emmy Rossum.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Infected

Author Note: Thanks for the reviews! I love any input I can get on my fanfiction. I don't as of yet have a Beta Reader, or even know how that works and how to get one, so if you are interested (and can explain the process to me) please let me know!

Author Note: Correction! I now have a fantabulous beta who makes my story look good! Thanks again Tawnyleaf!

"How did you find out?" Nathan asked softly as he handed Mag a glass of water.

"The better question is why you didn't tell me. Mag replied, taking the glass he held out to her. She studied Nathan and saw the changes in him. His hair was starting to gray at his temples and the weight he had lost making him seem frail in the dim light.

"I wanted to. Please believe me Mag." He said, taking off his glasses and wiping them with his shirtsleeve. Mag set down her untouched water and stood up, quickly crossing the gap between them and stopping a few inches in front of him.

"I spent sixteen years as Rotti's plaything; the only thing that would have made my contract with him bearable would have been you and Shiloh." She paused and searched his eyes "I have been fighting to get out of bed each day knowing that it would just be another circus act." She became sarcastic. "Hear the pretty bird sing, smile for the cameras! I was slowly dying inside Nate."

Nathan broke eye contact, stepping back and sitting on armchair. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Mag felt sick inside, she had just bared her soul to this man and all he could say was he was sorry. "I don't need your pity." She spat. "The only reason I am standing here is because of that little girl. Now I want you to tell me what the hell is wrong with her!"

Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "She has a blood disease" he said. Mag stood speechless, silently willing him to continue.

"When Shiloh was born she became sick, I found days after my wife's death that I would someday lose my daughter and there was nothing I could do about it."

Mag placed her hand up to her mouth, biting her lip as she processed what Nathan was telling her.

"She has been infected since the day I brought her into this world, and if I don't find a cure soon I'm going to lose her."

Nathan stood up and walked over to the liqueur cabinet, pulling a bottle of scotch out and pouring himself a glass. The fact that it was morning didn't stop him as he downed the scotch and refilled the glass. Mag walked over to his side and grabbed the glass out of his hand, drinking the liquid in one swallow.

"How long?" She asked, coughing slightly from the burning path the liquid made to her empty stomach. Nathan looked sideways at her and refilled the glass again, this time pulling out another one and filling it for himself.

"I don't know. She has her good days and her bad days."

Mag downed her drink and set the glass back on the bar, turning and looking at him. "Please don't shut me out again." She pleaded, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

Nathan set his still full glass down and pulled her into his arms, shuddering as he finally let loose the tears that he had held inside for almost seventeen years. Mag wrapped her arms around him and joined him in crying, letting out all of the pain and anger she had held close to her heart. They held each other for several minutes, neither one wanting to break away from the security they had found in each other's arms.

"Like two people on a sinking raft." She muttered, burying her head into his shoulder. Nathan couldn't agree more as resting his chin on top of Mag's head, knowing that he still had to tell her the reasons why he had shut her out.

Mag was the first to pull away, grabbing his hand as she took a step back and lead him over to the sofa.

"Why did you tell me that Shiloh was dead?" She asked as she started to wipe the tears from her face.

"I had to protect her... and you." He watched as a look of confusion came across her face. Almost without thinking he wiped away a tear that escaped from the corner of her eye. He told her about Marni's death and the last moments they had shared when he placed Shiloh in her arms. "Marni lived long enough to name her." He said as Mag grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, encouraging him to continue. "Shiloh Christine, after..." here Nathan paused,

"After the first roles we ever had on Sanitarium square." Mag finished for him. Nathan swallowed and continued his story, coming up to the part where Rotti had burst in with his guards.

"He took Shiloh away from me, pulled her right out of my arms and had me dragged into his building. I spent the better part of the day being tortured until Rotti gave me a choice. I could either become his Repo Man, or go down for murder and lose Shiloh forever."

Mag tightened her grip on his hand. "That was you last night." She said, already knowing the answer.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially you." He said and looked down at their intertwined hands. He swallowed again. "That is not all Rotti made me do." He continued. "He made me agree to tell you Shiloh was dead."

Mag shut her eyes and squeezed them tight at his words. "Why would he do that?" She asked as she opened her eyes and looked up into Nathan's.

"I don't know." He whispered their faces close together. The only sound heard was the gentle ticking of the clock on the mantle. Nathan pulled away and stood up. "Shiloh should be coming around pretty soon. Let's go upstairs so we can be there when she wakes up."

Mag nodded and accepted his hand, never letting go of it as he led her up the stairs.

oOOo

Shiloh awoke to the sound of soft singing and the gentle feeling of someone running their hand over her hair. She opened her eyes and looked up into Mag's, blinking a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

Mag breathed a sigh of relief and looked to the other side of the bed, her eyes meeting Nathan's and conveying her happiness. Nathan leaned over his daughter and checked her pulse, grabbing her hand and squeezing it while he addressed her.

"Welcome back sweetheart." Shiloh frowned up at her father and tried to sit up, accepting his help to lean against her headboard.

"Why do I have the feeling I missed something?" She croaked, accepting the drink that Mag handed her. Nathan handed Shiloh her medication, telling her that they would explain it all after she took it. Shiloh leaned forward and popped the pills into her mouth and took a sip of the water to help her swallow. When she has finished, Mag took the glass and set it on the bedside table then, with a small sigh Mag sat on the edge of her bed, taking her hand and explaining who she was.

"I'm your godmother." she started, "I was your father's childhood friend and I went to school with your mother. But, you probably know me as Blind Mag."

Mag watched as Shiloh's eye grew huge with surprise, and then recognition, obviously adding two and two together (what were the odds of a singer having digital corneas and the black hair?). But before Shiloh could say anything, her father took over and told Shiloh the whole story, not leaving out any details. Once he was finished Shiloh sat back and frowned at her hands, then looked back up into Mag's eyes. Mag gave a little stunned cry as Shiloh flung herself into her arms, and began hugging the girl just as fiercely as Shiloh was hugging her.

"I'm not going anywhere." She assured her, stroking Shiloh's dark hair.

Too soon it seemed that Shiloh started to feel sleepy, so the two adults cleared the room, once again heading for the sitting room. Mag plopped herself down and threw her feet up, much like she used to when she was younger, and watched Nathan pour her a drink and grab his untouched one. They spent the rest of the day talking, only stopping when Mag became tired from her lack of sleep and the effects of the alcohol. Nathan gently took the glass from her fingers and covered her with the throw lying on the back of the sofa, encouraging her to take a nap. Little did Mag know that he was trying very hard not to brush the strands of hair away from her face.

Mag was asleep in seconds, allowing Nathan to observe her without making her feel uncomfortable. What he saw was a strong, loving person with whom he was a fool to keep information from. He gave into his urge and moved her hair with his pinky gently away from her face and allowing him to really see her. There were shadows under Mag's eyes, no doubt caused by what was going on in her life, and a child-like peaceful look on her face as she snuggled deeper into the cushions. Nathan stood and walked into the kitchen. He was tired and would like nothing more than to curl up on the other end of the couch with Mag and fall asleep, but they were out of leftovers and the three of them would need to eat.

As Nathan put together the meal, his mind flashed back to happier times, both before and after he had met his wife. Mag had introduced them and within a year they were married, both so blissfully happy they did not see the shadows surrounding them. When Mag had come to him and told them of Rotti's threats against her, Nathan had wanted to kill him. Only a quick intervention from his wife had held him at bay.

Marni had gone to see Rotti, forcing him to understand that she was not going to leave her husband, and making him promise her that he would move on.

'Things still got worse for Mag.' He thought as he stirred the spaghetti. 'The chains Rotti attached to her still hold her in his grasp.'

Nathan shook his head to clear his thoughts and checked his spaghetti sauce, not really tasting it as he thought back to how Mag's shirt had ridden up while she was reaching for the key to the front door. Guilt crashed into him making him put down his spatula and press his hands against the counter, he pushed his weight against them and hung his head. He felt as if he were betraying Marni.

oOOo

Mag had woken up to the delicious aroma of homemade food. She was so hungry that she climbed out of her makeshift bed and wandered into the kitchen. She saw Nathan standing at the counter and when she saw the way his head hung, she didn't pause as she walked over and pulled him into her arms.

Nathan was stunned at the turn of events. Everything that had happened today had been a disaster, but here he was, encircled in arms that had been a safe haven growing up. He thought that Mag would never forgive him after he told her what he had done, what he had become, and yet here she was. Mag pulled back and smiled at him.

"You aren't forgiven yet." She said teasingly "That won't happen until after you feed me."

Nathan smiled and went back to work, turning around and stirring the sauce again before it burned. Mag looked at his shoulders and had to realize that this man had carried his burden around for years, she just hoped that now that she was there things would get better.

oOOo

While the adults had talked, Shiloh woke up and had carefully climbed out of bed. Testing her weight on shaky legs she made her way into her bathroom, feeling like moldy bread and wanting to freshen up. The girl in the mirror looked nothing like how Shiloh felt, finally rested after fighting fatigue for over a week. The dark circles under her eyes could be chalked up to her blood disease, but the way her hair hung limply and how pale her skin looked startled her.

She quickly turned and started the shower, pulling off her clothing and stepping under the spray. It felt wonderful to be clean, and once she stepped out of the stall and pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she was positively glowing. She quickly towel dried her hair, absently wondering if there was a way to get it as curly as Mag's had been the day before.

While she had been in the shower, Mag had come up to check on Shiloh and see if she felt up to dinner. When she saw the empty bed she had nearly screamed in alarm. The bathroom door opened behind her, and a slightly pink Shiloh emerged in a cloud of steam. Relief flooded through Mag.

Shiloh smiled at her and grabbed the brush from her vanity. "I suppose that smell would be dinner." She said as she yanked the brush through her dark mane. "It's making me hungry for the first time in a while." She said with a grin.

Mag stepped forward and took the brush from Shiloh's hand, gently untangling the knot that she had snagged it on. "Your father made spaghetti." She offered as she finished brushing Shiloh's hair. Shiloh had never had anyone do that for her and it made her smile; the gesture was one that made her feel secure. Mag smiled at the girl through the mirror and handed her the brush. "It should be ready any minute."

The two women walked down the stairs and sat down at the dinner table. Nathan joined them a minute later and served them the food. After a quiet dinner both Nathan and Shiloh began to gather up the dishes, but Mag made them sit back down.

"You sit right back down little lady. You too Nate!" She said with a smile and asked Shiloh to supervise. "How else am I going to learn where things go?" She asked.

Nathan watched the exchange, grateful that Mag was there for Shiloh and for himself as well. After the dishes were done, Mag asked Shiloh to play something for her.

"Your father said you were amazing."

Shiloh blushed and sat down at the piano, her fingers quickly finding the notes to her father's favorite song. Mag stood behind Shiloh, stunned by the girl's raw talent. The song was familiar, something Mag herself had played many times. She joined Shiloh at the second verse, both women closing their eyes at the sound of their joined voices. Nathan watched the two of them lose themselves in the song, knowing in his heart that he wanted Mag to stay.

The night moved on, and before any of them were ready, Mag announced that she needed to be heading home.

"I'm not leaving forever." She said as she looked into their glum faces. "I'll be back tomorrow."

She called her new driver and told him to pick her up at the graveyard, not wanting to tip Rotti off about her whereabouts. Shiloh said goodnight to Mag and kissed her father's cheek, bounding up the stairs and into her bedroom to compose another song. Nathan smiled as he watched his daughter go, and turned back to Mag he pulled her into his arms.

"Be safe" He mumbled into her hair. Mag pulled back and placed a kiss on his cheek, smiling at his surprised look she turned and walked out the door. Nathan watched her walk around the corner and out of sight.

oOOo

Mag sighed as she pulled her borrowed sweatshirt tighter around herself. The dark night sliding in and turning the world to shadows seemed to fade into the background as she walked to the graveyard. The revelations of the day were numerous, but the knowledge that she was wanted by someone other than Rotti made her blood sing.

She walked into the south side of the graveyard and made her way to the north entrance to meet her driver. Sliding into the backseat she sniffed at the sleeve of her shirt, Nathans scent comforting her as she was driven back into the lion's den. She thanked her driver and unlocked her front door. Not bothering to turn on any lights, she quickly made her way to her bedroom undressing as she walked down the hall. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and smiled at how her hair had straightened out during the day. Mag slipped on a nightgown and climbed into bed, taking Nathans shirt with her. She fell asleep quickly, happy for the first time in quite a while.

oOOo

Rotti sat in the darkness of Mag's living room, watching the woman walk in and undress. His guards had alerted him when Mag had left her home that morning and had kept him posted until she disappeared from the graveyard. Rotti had tried to find her with his security system but it had been as if she had vanished from the face of the earth. He watched Mag's shadow climb into bed and waited until she had fallen asleep. He silently stood up and walked down the hall, standing at the edge of her bed, he stared at her sleeping form. He would make sure she didn't slip away again.

As if she could feel his stare Mag frowned and rolled away from him, leaving the sweatshirt behind her. Rotti grabbed the piece of clothing and cursed, he now knew were his little songbird had been. Rotti took the shirt with him as he left the room, closing the door softly so he wouldn't wake the woman sleeping inside.

Once he was back in his office he threw the offending rag onto the desk before him, disgusted with himself for not realizing it sooner. He knew of Mag's love for Nathan. It had been the one thing that had kept her alive while he tried to break her spirit. He had almost succeeded (or, at least he thought he had until a few days ago) and now he had to deal with this! Rotti spun around and pulled up the security cameras surrounding Mag's home, he would not let her out of his sight and would make sure she was never left alone again.

Unaware of the dark plot to isolate her, Mag slept peacefully for the first time in many years.

oOOo

The harsh light streamed through her bedroom window, and for the first time it didn't bother Mag. She stretched her body like a cat, arching to get out the last of the tension in her lower back and almost groaning with satisfaction. She sat up and looked at the bed beside her, her smile fading when she saw Nathan's shirt was gone.

Getting out of bed, she looked around the room and saw that her bedroom door was closed; something she never did at night. Uncomfortable, Mag opened her bedroom door, the home she had felt safe in only a few minutes before took on a sinister feeling as she moved from room to room. When she reached the living room she almost gasped. It still smelled like Rotti's cologne.

Mag grabbed her coat from the hook by the door and pulled it on, she couldn't stay in this house another minute. Reaching out she pulled on the door handle only to find it locked, she tried again but was unable to get it open. Stepping back from the door Mag placed her hand up to her mouth and the awful truth dawned on her, she was locked in.

She ripped off her coat and ran into the kitchen for the phone, noticing as she did that the back door was also locked. The dial tone greeted her and she frantically dialed a phone number, tapping her foot impatiently her eyes darting around as if she were searching for something lurking in wait. She heard someone pick up on the other line and nearly wept with relief.

"Nathan, something terrible is happening." She cried while backing up against the wall.

"Yes, something terrible is happening Mag." Mag felt all of the blood leave her face as Rotti's voice rang out across the line. "My employee has gone against her contract."

Mag felt tears of terror pool in her eyes. "I noticed that you slipped the security team I had assigned to watch you. You fell off the radar and I didn't know what had happened to you, for all I know, you could have been murdered by the Repo Man from the other night." The unspoken threat hung in the air and Mag panicked.

"Rotti I can explain, I was visiting Marni when I ran into Nathan and..."

Rotti's dark chuckle interrupted her lie. "I know where you were yesterday. Did you think I wouldn't be watching?"

Mag tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat would not allow it.

"I think you should take some time off Mag, you work yourself too hard. Maybe you should stay at home for a few days and think about where your life is headed."

The phone line went dead; not even static came from the other end. Mag dropped the phone and slid down the wall until she was on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her legs and she broke down and cried.

Author Note: The song Mag sings in this chapter is Moon River; the duet is Blackbird by the Beatles.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Zydrate Anatomy / Thankless Job

Author Note: Thanks for all the reviews! Chapter 4 is in the editing process right now and I hope to have it out soon.

Nathan woke to the sun shining in his eyes and groaned, rolling over to shove his face into his pillow. Morning had come too soon for his liking; interrupting pleasant dreams that left him wanting more. Mag had played a significant part in these dreams, each one more wonderful than the last.

Groaning, Nathan stood and got ready to face the day. He showered and shaved for the first time in what felt like weeks (but, in reality it had only been a day). Once he was decent he walked down the hall to Shiloh's bedroom and knocked softly before entering. When he saw Shiloh curled up in the fetal position he grew alarmed.

"Shiloh honey, wake up." He said as he gently shook her trembling shoulder. Shiloh started to whimper softly before she opened her eyes.

"Daddy, it hurts." She moaned. Nathans stomach clenched as he reached for the phone, he dialed 911 as he cradled Shiloh's hand.

"911, please state your emergency."

Nathan quickly reported what was going on and the operator dispatched an ambulance.

"Daddy, please make the pain stop!"Shiloh was crying now, her tears running down her face and soaking the pillow. Nathan was at a loss of what to do. Nothing he had ever seen had prepared him for the utter helplessness he felt when facing his daughter's pain.

"Hold on honey, the ambulance will be here in a minute." He assured her, fighting the urge to scream and break things in order to hold her hand. The Paramedics came quickly and assessed the situation, quickly packing the girl into the ambulance and taking off as soon as the door shut behind her father.

As Shiloh was rushed to the emergency room, Nathan searched for a phone. He needed to call Mag and let her know what happened. Once he found it, dialed the number with trembling hands and waited for the ring. To his surprise, he heard a recorded message telling him the number had been temporarily disconnected. Nathan fought the feeling of panic and hung up the phone; he needed to be there for Shiloh.

oOOo

The wait for the doctor seemed to take forever as Nathan paced the waiting room, earning a sympathetic looks from the receptionist. Once he saw the doctor walking towards him with a grim look on his face Nathan knew all he needed to know.

"How long does she have?" His voice cracked as he asked the doctor.

"I am not going to lie to you Mr. Wallace." The doctor sighed tiredly and looked Nathan in the eyes. "Unless a miracle happens, it looks like she has a month at most."

Nathan's world spun around him and the blood rushed to his ears.

"We can make her comfortable until the end; it only takes a little Zydrate once a day and she won't feel a thing. If we limit the dose she will remain lucid, the only setback is if she doesn't get her medication in time."

Nathan paled at the suggestion. "Can I take her home?" He asked, his eyes pleading. The doctor sighed and looked at Shiloh's chart.

"I wouldn't recommend it; she could relapse at any time."

Nathan nodded and walked into his daughter's room. His first view of Shiloh after the drugs had taken affect was a sorry one; she looked like a frail little doll. It felt as if he touched her, she would break into a million pieces.

oOOo

Rotti watched the whole incident through his network of hidden cameras. He was pleased to see Nathan suffering, but sad for Shiloh's seemingly inevitable fate. He made a call to his research department to see how far along his doctors had come with a cure for Shiloh. After a brief interchange with the lead researcher about the statistics, he was pleased to hear the progress. If the test today worked, the cure was found and he would have his final revenge on Nathan.

Rotti switched the view from Nathan holding Shiloh and stroking her hair to one of Mag, who was still sitting where he had last seen her, arms wrapped around her legs as if holding herself together. He studied the woman sitting on the floor and thought back to when he had first met Mag, remembering Marni's insistence on his meeting her best friend.

The years had flown past, kinder to Mag than they were to Rotti for she looked only a few years older than when he had met her. In the past few years his affections for the singer had changed drastically. She would soon find her place by his side. Thanks to his research team, both Mag and Nathan would find themselves in horrible positions, right where Rotti wanted them.

Rotti pulled himself from his musings, flipping off the screen and turned back to his paperwork he scowled as he looked at the incriminating pictures of his children. One harsh phone call and his children were cut off, barred from the premises and disowned. He threw the pictures of his children's indiscretions into the garbage and focused on the pictures of Mag and Shiloh on his desk. "A worthy heir" he whispered and turned around to face the blank screen again.

oOOo

Mag shook the self-pitying thoughts out of her head and stood up. She walked over to the sink and pulled out a glass. Filling it with water she drank deeply, trying to rid herself of the sore throat she seemed to have developed. She knew that Rotti was watching her. It made her uncomfortable; who knew how many times he had watched her undress?

She walked down the hall and sat on her bed, her back to the headboard. Troubling memories sprang up about Rotti. The way he had watched her for the last few years had been predatory. The way he had stared at her while she had played for him the other day sprang into her mind and she shivered.

Ever since his children had started stepping out Rotti's attention had changed. Although he had never made a move, Mag was certain he wanted more from her than she would ever willingly give. Her thoughts turned to Shiloh and Nathan, and hoped that they didn't think she had abandoned them.

Mag closed her eyes and bit her lip. Scrunching her face she tugged on the ends of her hair, she was going to go insane from the surveillance.

oOOo

Once visiting hours were over, Nathan made his way to the lab beneath their home, determination screaming from every nerve in his body to save his daughter. He tried calling Mag again only to get the same recording.

Feeling exasperated at the world he stormed into his lab. The tests he had been running lately showed no results, and Nathan resolved to try harder. He did not leave his lab until exhaustion drove him to collapse on the couch Mag had napped on the day before. Hours later he was up again, choking down leftover spaghetti and pushing himself to the breaking point as he desperately tried to find a cure to save his little girl.

oOOo

Mag paced the house, her temper flaring as she stomped past the grand piano and threw herself on her couch. Only twelve hours in captivity so far and she was already willing to do almost anything to get out. Her restlessness only allowed her to sit for a few minutes before she was up and pacing again.

She needed to be with Shiloh and Nathan.

Mag shook her head and sat down on the piano bench only to start drumming her fingers against her leg, tension screaming through her shoulders and spreading up into her neck. She was going to have a hell of a headache in a bit.

Spinning around Mag started to play random notes on the piano, each one a jarring noise that shot pain into her forehead. Pain was good; it would give her something to focus on other than the fact that she was going to break her promise to Shiloh.

Night fell and the house started to grow dark, the shadows leaping up and claiming the room, making it seem more sinister. Quickly retreating to her bedroom, Mag turned on all of the lights and locked her door. She climbed into bed she laid there for about an hour before she finally fell into a troubled sleep.

Her hand never loosened its grip on the baseball bat she had pulled out of her closet.

oOOo

Nathan worked through the night, his muscles aching from bending over the microscope. He had to get this right, he had no choice. Shiloh's life was at stake.

Once again Nathan tried to contact Mag, but the call never got through. His stomach formed knots from worry, but he pushed everything aside as he worked. The ringing of his wrist-com broke his concentration and made him jump; almost ruining the experiment he was performing.

"Mr. Wallace, I think you should come to the hospital right away, Shiloh is resisting the medication we gave her." A gentern's voice stated.

Nathan dropped the slide he had just looked at and ran for the door.

oOOo

Rotti watched as Shiloh went into cardiac arrest, furiously dialing his research team. By the time Shiloh had been stabilized Rotti had gotten the good news. The researchers had developed a cure. He stood and walked over to the elevator, signaling his personal guards and slapping the down button.

The ride down to the research level was slow; another brown out had hit the building and lowered the power levels. Instead of irritation, the long ride gave Rotti time to plan how he would work this situation. He had thought of nothing else for the last sixteen years.

The head researcher met Rotti at the door and gave him the chart. After a quick scan, he smirked. The results were perfect.

"Bring it to me." He snapped at the cowering man, wincing as the man spun and nearly crashed into the wall in his haste to follow orders. The little glass vial that held Shiloh's cure seemed to glow purple in his hand.

Rotti made his way down to the garage, sliding into the back seat he sat back and enjoyed the ride. Revenge was sweet.

oOOo

Nathan was sitting in the chair next to an unconscious Shiloh, holding her hand and staring at her face. Rotti's entrance pulled him from his reverie and made him focus.

"What are you doing here." He hissed at his employer. Rotti couldn't remember the last time insubordination had amused him so much.

"Why, I came to check on little Shiloh. I had heard she was hear. She looks so much like her mother."

Nathan sneered at him. "Leave, now." He snarled and turned back to his daughter.

"That would defeat the purpose of my visit." Rotti said, amusement coloring his voice as he watched his rival's torment. "You see, I know that for the past few years you have been searching for her cure. How is that going by the way?" He tilted his head to the side as he asked the question, seeming sincere in his inquiry.

"I haven't found it." Nathan admitted in a quiet voice and looked down at his daughter. Rotti stepped up to Nathan.

"Fortunately for Shiloh, I have." Rotti announced.

Nathan's head snapped up. "What?" He exclaimed. Rotti had thrown the bone, and Nathan had gone for it.

"I have her cure." He said again. Nathan couldn't believe his ears, the one man he hated more than anything else had found the way to save his daughter. "Oh, I will be having the doctor administer it." Rotti said. He sat himself down in the chair that Nathan had vacated, leaning back and folding his hands over his chest. "Once, of course, you agree to my terms."

Nathan didn't like the sound of that, but he had no choice. "Whatever it is, I'll do it, just save her!" His voice broke on the last note.

"Now don't be too hasty Nathan. You may feel differently once I tell you what will happen if you agree. But, then again, we both know what will happen if you don't." Rotti leered and watched Nathan force himself into remaining calm.

"What are your terms?" Nathan asked slowly. Rotti chuckled.

"Shiloh becomes the property of Geneco. She will be moved to my estate and cared for until she is well enough to become the spokesperson for my new Gene Therapy line. You though Nathan, will refrain from ever contacting her or her godmother again."

Nathan's eyes widened as he comprehended what Rotti was saying. He could lose Shiloh to her disease, or he could lose her to Rotti. Either way he would lose, and in his gut he sensed that he had already lost Mag.

The selfish part of his brain would rather Shiloh died than become Rotti's property, but the father in him would do anything to stop his little girls suffering. "Will I get to say goodbye?" He asked, his voice weary.

Rotti stood and looked at the man who had just crumpled to the floor, feeling no pity. He had won, but having him tell Shiloh would be the icing on the cake. "I will have the doctor administer the drugs immediately, she won't be conscious until tomorrow. I will send my men for her things, you have until Monday."

With those parting words Rotti walked out of the room and gave the vial to the doctor. Shiloh would need it. He ordered his driver back to the tower, his wrist-com relaying a troubling message.

Nathan sank down in the chair by Shiloh's bed and buried his face in his hands. He only had three days left, and Shiloh would be sleeping through one of them.

oOOo

When the sun hit Mag's eyes that morning she was wide awake in an instant, her brain going into overdrive as she surveyed her room. Nothing seemed out of place, so she felt it was safe to assume that Rotti had not paid her a midnight visit.

Pushing back the covers she rushed into the bathroom and quickly cleaned herself up. Her nerves made her clumsy; she almost fell over pulling on her shoe. Grabbing the baseball bat she had slept with last night, Mag walked into the living room and turned on her stereo as loud as she could. She looked around her again and walked toward the kitchen. She had decided not to remain a prisoner for Rotti's entertainment another minute longer.

She had picked the kitchen for her escape because of the big window over the sink, big enough for her to climb through. The fact that the window faced a wall surrounding the property was an added bonus; it would escape notice for a while. Biting her lip and closing her eyes Mag swung at the window, praying that no one would hear it shatter. It exploded outwards, breaking into thousands of little pieces. She climbed up onto the counter and knocked out the remaining shards around the edge. Placing a hand towel over it she pulled herself out the window.

After a rather ungraceful landing, Mag stood up and crept around the side of the house, looking for the guard that was sure to be around. Finding none, she went to take a step forward only to jump back and press herself to the side of the house as Rotti's car drove past.

Mag didn't breathe until it passed through the gates at the end of the drive. Once the car was out of site she made a break for it. Managing to make it to the gate before it closed, she slid through the opening with barely an inch to spare. Looking back at the grounds, she realized that she had managed to escape successfully. Mag turned and ran down the street, going in the opposite direction the car had come from.

She ran for as long as she could before slowing to a walk, her thoughts turning to Rotti and where he had gone this early in the morning. She supposed she would find out soon enough as she picked up the pace and began jogging towards Nathan's house. She would ask for his help if she made it there before she was discovered missing.

oOOo

It took Mag an hour to reach the house, and she arrived out of breath and nervous. She pushed open the gate and ran up the steps to the porch. She tried to open the door, but found it locked. Cursing, Mag reached up and pulled the spare key from its resting place above the door. Unlocking it she replaced the key and let herself in.

As soon as she had shut the door Mag knew something was wrong. She rushed up the stairs towards Shiloh's bedroom, calling out for Nathan as she ran. Pushing open the door she saw the rumpled bed and knocked-over medical equipment and panicked. She quickly checked every room in the house before she came to the realization that they were not there.

Nearly hysterical she grabbed the phone from the end table in the living room and dialed Nathan's number. It took him less than a second to answer the call. "Shiloh relapsed." He told her. "Rotti has her cure." Mag interrupted him and demanded his location. When he said the hospital, she slammed the phone down and grabbed Nathan's car keys as she ran out the door.

oOOo

The receptionist gaped at Mag when she pushed through the doors and ran up to the desk.

"Which room is Shiloh Wallace in?" She demanded breathlessly. The receptionist paled and looked over Mag's shoulder to the security team. "Well?" She snapped.

The receptionist smiled politely. "Visiting hours are for family only. What is your relationship with the patient?"

Mag prepared to tell the woman off, but she wasn't quick enough.

"She's my daughter's godmother." Nathan's voice answered from behind her.

Mag spun around and launched herself into Nathan's arms, fresh tears streaming down her face. Nathan led her down the hall and into Shiloh's room, squeezing her hand and then letting go so she could sit next to Shiloh. Mag gently brushed the hair away from Shiloh's face; she looked so frail that Mag was afraid to touch her.

Nathan watched the way Mag cared for Shiloh, love for Mag filling his heart. For once, it didn't feel like a betrayal to see Mag in that light. It was as if Marni knew he would always love her but wanted him to be happy.

Mag pulled her gaze from Shiloh and looked up at Nathan. "On the phone, you said something about a cure."

Nathan looked at Shiloh and then back at Mag before taking her hand and pulling her up next to him.

"Rotti found it."

Mag looked up into Nathan's eyes and stilled herself for the worst. "What were his terms?" She whispered. Nathan wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"I have to give her up." He whispered into her hair. Mag pulled back, her heart speeding up until it hurt.

"Nathan, what are we going to do?" She asked him. Nathan looked down at Shiloh and led Mag out of the room, leading her into the empty one across the hall. Closing the door behind him he walked over and sat himself down on the bed, gently pulling Mag down beside him. "It's the only way she will live to see her seventeenth birthday." He said.

Mag wrapped her arms around Nathan and held him as he broke down from the pressure, wishing she didn't feel the way she did. It was a horrible feeling, to lust after Nathan when their whole world was crumbling. Making soothing noises she rubbed circles on his back, allowing herself to love the man before her.

She thought that she had gotten over him; she had not felt like this when he was married to her best friend. Mag supposed these feelings might be just hormones, but when Nathan pulled back and looked into her eyes she felt an unexpected urge to make everything alright for this man and his daughter.

Nathan looked into Mag's eyes and felt the same feelings she was. He wondered if this was just the chemicals in his brain affecting him due to the circumstances. Finding nothing but love in her eyes, Nathan decided he didn't care. He moved forward slowly, giving Mag the opportunity to pull away, before touching his lips to hers. It was as if a white hot current had started, burning through their veins and getting more intense the deeper the kiss became. Mag pressed herself against Nathan, trying to get as close as possible without breaking their contact. Nathan lifted Mag and pulled her into his lap, the energy between them intensified as Mag started to unbutton his shirt. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head to reveal her lacy red bra; throwing it towards the foot of his bed he kissed her bare shoulder...

(Because I have never written anything adult rated, here is where we give the little love birds some privacy, use your imagination.)

"I think I'm in love with you." Mag whispered into his neck. Nathan stiffened for a split second before realizing he had come to the same knowledge himself. He looked down at the long dark hair spilling across his chest and covering her bare skin, long enough to reach the small of her back. Nathan moved some of her hair and pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"I think I'm in love with you too." He said. Mag smiled up at him before looking at the clock on the bedside table, the numbers glowing in the near dark room.

"We should check on Shiloh." She said and pulled herself out of the bed, shyly looking around for her clothes. Nathan was disinclined to do the same; he much preferred the view from where he was. Mag was looking around for her bra when she noticed Nathan staring at her.

"Come on Nate!" she prodded. Nathan spied the small scrap of red fabric under the edge of the bed and reached down to get it.

"Is this what you are looking for?" He asked her, holding it up. Mag blushed and reached out for it only to have her wrist grabbed, suddenly she found herself back in Nathan's arms. "If you want it back you are going to have to earn it." He whispered huskily. Mag gave him a small grin before kissing him, putting enough passion into it to distract him so she could snag the clothing from his hands. Nathan groaned as she pulled back, her eyes triumphant as she held up the bra.

"Enough fun and games Nathan. Get dressed!" She insisted. Scowling she held up the shirt she had been wearing, there was now a large tear in the side seam.

"I don't remember doing that." Nathan said sheepishly as he held out the over shirt he had worn. Mag blushed again and quickly pulled it on. The shirt was turned out to be far too big; she had to roll up the sleeves several times just so she could see her hands.

Once they had sorted out clothing the realization of what had just happened hit Nathan. They had both started something that could go nowhere. "Maggie..." He began. Mag looked up.

"Nate, don't." She opened the door and walked across the hallway. Nathan followed her and sat down on the edge of Shiloh's bed.

"She looks better." He said, checking her vitals. Mag watched him watching his daughter and felt a tug at her heart. She really loved this man.

oOOo

Shiloh shifted and opened her eyes, nearly panicking until she looked up at her dad.

"Hi sweetheart. Welcome back." He said as he touched her cheek. "You really scared me there." Mag sat down on the other side of the bed and grabbed Shiloh's hand.

"You scared me too." Mag said softly.

Shiloh looked at Mag and frowned. "Why are you wearing my dad's shirt?"

Mag flushed red and looked at Nathan for help.

"We spent the night here and somehow her shirt got ripped." He said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Shiloh didn't buy it for a second but decided to let them have their 'secret'.

Mag stood up and smiled at the two of them, she wanted to give them privacy. "I'm going to get some coffee, did you want anything?"

Nathan turned her down and smiled at her. "We'll be here when you get back." Mag smiled at the two of them again and walked out of the room to find the coffee machine she had seen earlier.

oOOo

Shiloh watched her godmother walk out of the room and looked up at her dad.

"Are you in love with her?" She asked him. Nathan paled a little before replying.

"I think I am, Shi." He looked down at his daughter. "Is that ok with you?" He asked. Shiloh smiled at him.

"Well, I don't really know her that well, but if she makes you happy I think it would be ok."

Nathan laughed at Shiloh's acceptance and kissed his daughter on the forehead. He pulled back and got a serious look on his face. "Shiloh, there is something I need to tell you; it's about your future. My boss came in yesterday with your cure. He told me he would give it to you on two conditions. They were very hard to agree to, but I had no choice. The first was..."

A scream from the hallway cut him off.

oOOo

Mag felt strong hands grip her arms and spin her around. Dazed for a second, she looked up and saw two of Rotti's goons. She struggled against them and screamed Nathan's name. Stomping on the foot of one of the men holding her, she managed to wrench her arm free. She slapped the other man with all her strength, but he wrenched her arm and held her still long enough for the other one to get a good grip on her. She screamed Nathan's name again as she was dragged out of the hospital, catching a glimpse of him before being pulled out the door and into the waiting limo.

She spun and looked out the rear window as they sped away, tears filling her eyes as she saw Nathan run out after her. She turned back to the henchmen who had forced her into the car. One of them men was leering at her.

"So, which one of you is going to tell me where you're taking me?" She snapped. The nearest one slid beside her and rested his hand on her leg.

"The boss wants to see you." He said as he squeezed her leg suggestively. Mag swung her hand at his face, her fingernails catching his cheek just hard enough to draw blood. The man jerked back and hissed at her.

"Looks like kitty has claws." He grabbed her wrists and pressed her against the seat. Mag struggled against him for a few moments, but the other man pulled her attacker off of her. "

Knock it off; the boss will kill you if you harass her." The other man ordered. Her attacker grumbled and slid up to the front of the limo, glaring at Mag as he touched his face where she had scratched him.

The drive to the tower didn't take much longer and Mag breathed a sigh of relief as she was pulled out of the car. Her attacked slid up behind her and whispered a lewd suggestion in her ear before taking her arm and marching her to the elevator. She would have to watch her back around him.

The ride up to Rotti's office was uneventful and she managed to keep her cool until the door opened and she was pushed into the room, the door slamming shut behind them. The first thing she noticed was the screen behind the desk showing a picture of Nathan trying to calm a distraught Shiloh. The second thing she noticed was Rotti himself standing up from his chair and moving towards her.

"Leave us." He snarled at the guards. The two unceremoniously dropped her arms and walked out.

Mag fought the urge to back away as Rotti approached her, wincing as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to stand in front of the screen.

"How does it feel to know that you are never going to see him again?" He asked her. Mag looked at the screen and then down at her feet. "By now you know that Shiloh is never going to go home. Once she recovers she will be moved to a safe house."

Rotti gave her an awful smile and tightened his grip on her arm. "Unless you agree to an arrangement, you will never see her again." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him, "I have played this game far too long; it's time for you to give up on the ridiculous idea of freedom. Marry me and Shiloh is yours."

Mag jerked herself out of his arms and backed up against the monitor. She looked at Rotti with horror in her eyes as he stepped up to close the distance between them. He placed a hand on either side of her and braced himself, effectively pinning her against the wall. He leaned in as if to kiss her and she turned her head away. His breath sent chills up her spine as he spoke against her neck.

"Say yes and she can move in with you. I will expect you to move up to the house once we are married, but until then you and the girl can live in your cottage."

Mag trembled as he pulled away; gaining the strength to look him in the eye once he had backed up a few steps. He smirked at her and held up the remote to change the picture, the screen now filling with a video of her driver's repossession.

Mag spun around and backed up a step, her hand flashing up to her mouth in horror. Rotti stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms leaning forward he whispered the words that made the choice for her.

"Say no and not only will you never see Shiloh again, I will send out a hit on Nathan. It wouldn't take much you know. I can just tell the board that he had gone rouge and was stalking you." The picture flickered and Mag watched the Repo Man chased her from the alley. "So what will it be?" Rotti asked, still holding her arms.

Mag swallowed and looked up at the screen before nodding once. He chuckled and released her. "I thought so." He signaled for the guards to come and take her back to her cottage.

Mag managed to hold herself together the whole ride home, but once she got inside her house, she almost didn't make it to her bathroom before the nausea overwhelmed her.

Thanks to all reviewers!

For those of you who have yet to do so, please click on the little blue box and let me know what you think... ALL reviews (positive and negative) are welcomed!

Special Note: Thanks to my Beta Tawnyleaf! Your changes to the story make it so much better! I give you a cookie!

Emengee


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: 21st Century Cure/Chase the Morning

Shiloh spent the last day with her father. She talked with him about her mother and his life before her. She was surprised to know that Mag and her father had been together before he had even met Marni.

"She broke up with me when I got into Medical School. She was very into her music and I had gotten into an off-island school. We both decided that we would see how things were when I came back." He explained, a dreamy, lost-in-memories look on his face.

As their talk continued Nathan's face lit up as he spoke about Marni, leaving little doubt in Shiloh's mind that he had loved her mother very much. She became emotional when it was time for her father to leave, crying herself to sleep after he was gone.

oOOo

The next day dawned with feelings of dread for Shiloh. She felt different when she woke up, stronger, healthier; like she could take on the whole world. The only thing that kept her from celebrating was the fact that she would never see her father again. She rolled over and looked out the window to see the sun rising. It cast delicate shadows on her bed and face, the result of the pattern on the lacy drapes. She watched for a while before pretending to be asleep while a gentern came in to check on her. A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek as she thought of the many mornings her father had done the same thing.

"It's time to wake up honey." The gentern said softly, shaking Shiloh's shoulder gently. "You have a visitor." Shiloh watched as the woman drew the drapes back and poured her a glass of water. Shiloh sat up with no difficulty. Refusing the water, she pulled her legs up to her chest. The nurse made a tisking sound and held up the cup again. "You need to drink this." She insisted. Shiloh took the cup from the nurse and downed the water before becoming sarcastic.

"There, are you happy?" She snapped and thrust the cup back into the nurses hand.

"Shiloh, be nice to the gentern. She is only following orders." Came a voice from the doorway. Shiloh turned her head to see Rotti Largo leaning against the doorframe, a smile on his face and his cane in his hand. "I'm Rotti Largo." He stated.

Shiloh placed her chin on her knees and glared at the foot of the bed before replying. "Yeah, I know. You're the one that had my Godmother kidnapped the day before yesterday."

Rotti chuckled and walked into the room, waving the nurse off he sat down on the edge of her bed. Shiloh scooted sideways to put as much space between them as possible.

"I did have Mag picked up the other day but that was for her own safety. I have a rouge Repo Man out there who wants to hunt her down." He calmly replied. Shiloh closed her eyes; clearly Rotti didn't know her father had told her everything. She could use this to her advantage.

"Is she okay?" She asked, looking up into his eyes pleadingly. Rotti's face softened,

"She's fine, in fact, she's at home getting your room ready. She wants you to stay with her until the wedding."

Shiloh's eyes widened. "What wedding?"

Rotti smiled at her before telling her that Mag had agreed to become his wife, leaving out the details of the engagement.

Shiloh looked up at him in disbelief; Mag wouldn't agree to marry him if he were the last man on earth. She struggled to breathe for a moment before she was able to choke out something that resembled "Congratulations."

Rotti patted her hand and stood up. "I am having you moved tomorrow, you should feel well enough by then and I want to get you settled as soon as possible. I don't know if you knew this, but part of your father's agreement was that you would become the spokes person for my cure for blood diseases. You will need to recover fully before we start the promotion."

Shiloh pulled her arms tighter around her legs, and cringed as Rotti closed the door behind him.

oOOo

Mag had spent most of the day before in bed. The only time she had gotten up was to make a trip to the kitchen for some crackers, and then another time to the bathroom to heave them back up.

When the next morning came, she pulled herself up and got in the shower. Afterwards, she attempted a light breakfast. When the movers knocked on her door that afternoon she was ready for them. She had spent most of the day cleaning up the spare bedroom for Shiloh. The movers unloaded everything and left quickly, leaving Mag to sort out the boxes of items from Shiloh's bedroom.

She opened the first box and found an envelope with her name on it resting on the top. Walking over to the bed she had ordered for Shiloh, she sat down and opened it, cursing under her breath when she gave herself a paper cut. She put her finger in her mouth and read the letter Nathan had written her, tearing up at the words inside.

Mag set down the letter and pulled out the first picture. It was one that had been taken very recently of both her and Shiloh sitting at the piano bench singing. She had been so wrapped up in the music she had not even noticed Nathan taking the picture. Pulling out the rest of the photo's she saw several shots of the two of them, but one photo took her breath away.

It had been taken a few days after Shiloh had been born. Nathan was staring down at her and Shiloh had her little hand wrapped around his finger. She gave into her tears and stood up, taking the picture into her bedroom and setting it on her nightstand.

Once she had gotten herself together, she went back and sorted through Shiloh's things, placing posters and pictures in the corner of the room for Shiloh to hang when she arrived. Mag made up the bed and picked up a well-loved teddy bear out of the last box. She laughed as she recognized it as the bear she had won him at the carnival. The memory of that night was one of the few that Mag had relied on during the last sixteen years.

It had been the first time she had ever seen the colors and sights that went with the sounds. Nathan and Marni had pulled her out of the studio that day and dragged her there to have some well deserved 'fun'. They had spent hours seeing every booth and act, stopping only once to play a game. The Ring Toss had been a favorite of Nathan's growing up, but no matter how hard he tried he could not win that night. Marni had laughed at him and grabbed Nathan's hand to pull him away when Mag had stepped up to try her luck. The man running the game had laughed at her first attempt, but quickly became sober when Mag landed every other toss. When he had handed her a teddy bear as her prize she had laughed and handed it over to Nathan.

Mag smiled at the memory and placed the bear at the top of the bed, hoping Shiloh didn't think it silly when she saw it. She finished unpacking the boxes, setting a guitar in the corner of the room and placing Shiloh's music book on the nightstand. Night had fallen quickly, and Mag's stomach growled, alerting her to the fact that it was already around 7:00. She closed the bedroom door and walked into the kitchen.

Looking out the window (she noted that the glass had been replaced), she saw the guard Rotti had posted against the wall. She would not be escaping that way any time soon.

Mag had barely tasted the microwaved lasagna before realizing that she wasn't hungry anymore and set it down. She knew she had to eat but didn't have the will to force herself to. Sighing, she picked up the plate and walked into the living room to sit at her piano, setting the food down on the other side of the bench. She started playing her scales.

Mag soon forgot the world around her as she started to write a new song, her food laying forgotten as she worked long into the night.

oOOo

For Nathan, the day after saying goodbye to his daughter was horrible. He spent the day packing up boxes for the movers to get for Shiloh. The only high point of his day was putting together the box for Mag.

Once the movers had come and gone, Nathan had just sat in the empty room, losing himself in memories.

oOOo

Shiloh slept poorly that night. She kept tossing and turning, falling asleep for only a few moments before waking up again. Finally she gave up and sat by the window.

When the sun rose, she got cleaned up and dressed. She left the room and sat out in the lobby, trying to keep her nerves under control. The driver was punctual, and once he pulled up she followed the nurse to the car. Shiloh slid into the backseat and buckled up. The driver was silent the whole drive, and Shiloh spent it looking out the window as she passed the neighborhood she had grown up in. Not able to watch any longer, she faced forward and tried to swallow her tears. She resolved to stay strong while she waited to arrive at the Largo Estate.

When the car finally made it out of the city, Shiloh closed her eyes and prayed that her father was okay. Leaving him alone in that house was horrible to think about. After what seemed like years to Shiloh, the car pulled up to a set of large iron gates. As it drove through, she noticed first how beautiful her prison looked. Then she noticed Mag standing at the door of the small cottage the car was pulling up to. Before the car was fully stopped Shiloh had jumped out of the vehicle and into her Godmother's arms, holding herself together with heroic effort until they were both inside.

oOOo

Mag held the girl as she sobbed, cursing Rotti for hurting this girl and hating herself for what she had agreed to in order to get Shiloh here.

Once Shiloh had cried herself out, Mag pulled her into the kitchen and gave her some water and asked her if she was hungry. The girl wrapped her hands around the glass and shook her head. Mag couldn't believe how lost she looked. Reaching out she took one of Shiloh's hands and told her about what was going on, not wanting to keep any secrets from her. Shiloh squeezed Mag's hand as she spoke, feeling sorry for the both of their fates.

After the two of them had calmed down, Mag gave Shiloh a tour of the house, ending with her new bedroom. Shiloh cried out and ran to the bed, grabbing the teddy bear she hugged it to her chest and smiled weakly. Embarrassed, Shiloh explained that she had slept with the bear every night as a child.

"Whenever I need extra comfort I take it down from the shelf and sleep with it."

Mag smiled and told her the story about the bear, laughing when Shiloh stood up and hugged her. The two of them spent the rest of the morning hanging pictures and posters, laughing and joking as they told each other stories about their lives.

Once they had finished hanging everything, the two of them went back into the kitchen and made lunch. Their talk soon turned to music as they ate. After they had finished and put away the dishes, Mag led Shiloh into the living room and showed her where she kept her blank sheet music and giving her free reign over the piano. "I doubt that Rotti will let you choose your own music when he starts the promotion, but I don't want you to give it up."

Shiloh sat down on the couch and looked up at Mag "What do you think he's going to make me do?" She asked.

Mag sat down beside her and wrapped her arm around Shiloh's shoulder. "I don't know. He stopped by this morning and said something about having some reporters over later today. We most likely will find out then. I don't think I have to tell you we have to be on our best behavior."

Shiloh bit her lip and shook her head, standing up she walked over and looked at the piece of music sitting on the piano. She played the opening notes to Mag's new song, stopping after a few bars to ask Mag about it.

"I got a little bored last night. It was supposed to be haunting." She admitted, looking at the hastily scribbled notes. "Do you have anything you want to change?"

Shiloh played the song through a few times, changing a few bars to make the melody ring darkly. Shiloh smiled sheepishly when she finished making changes to the song, hoping she hadn't gone too far by rewriting the entire chorus.

Mag sat down beside her and quickly made the changes to the sheet music, pulling out a fresh sheet to write some lyrics. Neither of them noticed the audience that had come up behind them as they worked on the song. Rotti and a few reporters stood in the entryway, watching the two of them playing. Each one was clamoring to get a decent picture of the newest voice of Geneco.

Rotti cleared his voice to get their attention, the sudden noise making Shiloh jump and hit a sour note. The reporters behind him laughed at her, waiting for Rotti to introduce them.

"You all know my leading lady Blind Mag of course. But gentlemen, please allow me to introduce her Goddaughter and our newest Voice of Geneco, Shiloh." He paused to walk forward to stand beside Shiloh, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and indicating that Mag should stand on Shiloh's other side.

Shiloh looked a little uncomfortable with the attention, but smiled at the cameras. Raising her hand, she gave a little wave before grabbing Mag's hand and squeezing it tightly. Rotti tightened his grip around her shoulder and continued.

"Mag had told me about Shiloh a few years ago when she was diagnosed with a genetic blood disease. At the time we had believed her diagnosis was terminal, but I am now proud to say that after many years of research my team of scientists has come up with her cure."

Mag's smile stiffened at lies he was spinning, but forced herself to look at him from over Shiloh's head. He met her look and winked at her as if they shared a secret.

"On a more personal note, I am happy to announce the engagement between Mag and myself." At this announcement, the cameramen went wild, the lights flashing in Shiloh's eyes and casting shadows behind them.

Rotti smiled for the cameras, answering the reporter's questions as they were shouted out.

"Mr. Largo! How did this come about?"

Rotti chuckled at the question. "Mag and I have both been working together for over sixteen years. We just grew close during that time. We both maintained a professional relationship up until a few days ago, but once the doctors had administered the cure to Shiloh I couldn't help myself. I proposed and she accepted."

Rotti reached over to wrap an arm around Mag's shoulder and pulled her into him, lifting her hand to show them the large engagement ring he had given her that morning. The reporters all started yelling questions at the same time, each hoping to get the next words in. Rotti could just see the headlines; he had no doubt that they would all be positive regarding the new announcements.

Shiloh pressed herself backwards as if to hide from the flashes. Questions came from every direction and Shiloh began to feel overwhelmed. Seasoned charmer that he was, Rotti answered many of them before Shiloh could even process what was being asked. Thankfully for her though, most of the questions were directed towards Rotti and Mag. Shiloh only had to nod and smile until Rotti showed them out.

He came back in to tell them a few moments later that he expected both of them in his office first thing in the morning. Then he left as well.

Mag gave a sigh of relief before plopping down on the couch; she hated when it was time to give the reporters a story. She especially hated the thought of Nathan's reaction when he saw the headlines on the evening newspaper.

Shiloh stepped backwards and sat on the piano bench in a daze. Biting her thumbnail, she thought about her dad and how much she missed him.

Mag stood and walked into the kitchen to make dinner, both women eating without really being hungry. Mag reminded Shiloh that Rotti would expect them around nine the next morning and then they bid each other goodnight, each retiring to their rooms to sleep.

oOOo

Nathan spent most of the day in his lab, cleaning and organizing it until there was nothing left for him to do. He sat for a moment before deciding he couldn't take the silence any longer. He went upstairs and started cleaning every room in the house, growing more and more frustrated with each room. Cleaning the house took most of the day and it was almost a relief to get the call from Rotti telling him to come to his office.

Upon arriving at the tower Nathan grew cross. He stormed into Rotti's office and slammed his fists on the desk. Rotti looked up from the file he had been reading and raised his eyebrow at Nathan, clearly not impressed with his attitude. Nathan glared at Rotti and demanded to know what else the man expected to take from him.

"You already have my daughter, what else could you possibly want from me?" He snarled. Rotti reached out and handed him a file, another repossession order. Nathan hissed and slapped the file out of his hand onto the table, the pictures of Rotti's children spilling out across the desktop. "Do you really have no heart? They are your own children!" He growled, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fist.

Rotti snorted his disdain and answered him, "I have no children. At least, I won't until next month."

Nathan walked around the desk and hauled Rotti up by his collar.

"What do you mean until next month?" He snapped. Two of his guards rushed forward to assist their boss, but Rotti waved them away. Grabbing Nathan's wrists, he pulled himself out of his grip and answered his question.

"It hardly seems fair, but as of today you are officially deceased. I will, of course, keep you on the payroll as my Repo Man, but having you dead will make adopting Shiloh so easy once I marry her legal guardian."

Nathan took a step back as if shot and looked at the pictures on Rotti's desk, taking in the faces of the two women that meant the most to him. Rotti noticed his look and smirked. "She accepted my proposal the night I cured your daughter. It's no wonder she agreed to it, I managed to not only give her a career, but I also gave her Shiloh."

He waved his guards to come and take Nathan out of the building. "I always get what I want." Rotti said as the elevator doors closed on Nathan's furious face.

oOOo

The sound of the piano woke Mag the next morning.

Glancing at the clock she was shocked to find that it was not eight in the morning yet. Rising quickly, she walked down the hall, planning on telling Shiloh to get ready. Her second surprise of the morning greeted her. Shiloh was already dressed and eating yogurt in between inspiration spurts. Mag smiled at the girl and went to get ready herself. She took a little extra time dressing, and decided she might as well straighten her hair. Finally done, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a yogurt for herself before the car arrived.

oOOo

Shiloh had finished a new piano piece and was happy with the first attempt for a change. She sat plucking a song on the piano while she waited for Mag to eat her breakfast. Too soon, the car arrived and they had to leave for the tower. Mag looked at the silent girl and thought of the letter Nathan had written her, one thing in particular stuck out in her mind.

_'If she doesn't talk a lot in the morning, it's not because she is upset. She just isn't a morning person.'_

Mag smiled at the memory and reached over to squeeze Shiloh's hand, hoping that the girl wouldn't be afraid today.

oOOo

Arriving at the tower was always hard for Mag. Rotti had redecorated the lobby after her surgery with pictures of her first opening her eyes. He had added to them over the years, and now hundreds of posters of Mag's face stared down at them as they walked to the elevator. To her, each one seemed to stare into Mag's soul and deem her unworthy. It was a relief when the doors closed.

Shiloh on the other hand, was so nervous that she barely noticed any of the posters. The only thing she caught was that one of Mag's songs was playing quietly in the background, and the familiarity of it managed to soothe Shiloh frazzled nerves a little. She was unsure as of how to act around Rotti after what he had done. She hated him for tearing apart her family just when it was starting to come together. Shiloh inwardly fumed as they arrived on his floor. The elevator doors opened to reveal Rotti sitting at his desk with his hands folded in front of them.

He rose and walked around his desk. Looking somber he led them to the chairs in front of his desk. Mag's stomach clenched when she saw the contract on the desk. She was able to read Shiloh's name on it before Rotti covered it with some other papers, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she wondered what he was up to. Rotti sighed and sat down behind his desk again, looking at Shiloh sadly.

"Shi, sweetheart..." He said gently.

Shiloh's head snapped up at the familiar pet name. "I'm afraid I have some bad news." Shiloh paled at the words, and Rotti quickly went around the desk and knelt down in front of her, "It's your father, honey. He was found dead this morning in his lab."

Shiloh jumped up and backed away from the desk, stopping when she hit the wall and sinking to the ground. Mag was at her side in an instant, pulling the crying girl into her arms and glaring at Rotti. Standing up she advanced on him.

"This is your fault!" She screamed, and reflexively she raised her hand to smack him. Rotti backed up and ran into his desk, managing to catch Mag's wrist and spin her around. He wrapped his other hand around her throat. Mag struggled against him, his grip tightening as he whispered into her ear.

"She has already lost one parent today Maggie. It would be a shame if you two were separated as well." Mag stopped struggling and wrenched herself out of Rotti's hold. Returning to Shiloh's side, she knelt down next to the girl and held her in her arms.

"I had hoped to go over the contract your father and I drew up regarding the cure you received," Rotti said, fake melancholy back in his voice,"but I think now that would be a little much. I want you to take it home and look at tonight and let me know what you think. I will come and get it before work tomorrow."

Mag glared up at him as she pulled Shiloh to her feet before snatching the contract out of his hand. "How can you be so heartless?" She hissed at him as she led Shiloh into the elevator.

oOOo

Once the doors closed Rotti sat back down at his desk, picking up the phone he made a call.

"Attention all employees, bring the Repo Man Nathan Wallace to me at once. I want him alive!" Rotti slammed the phone down and picked up the remote to his monitor, switching it on he saw the empty cell waiting for Nathan.

"Game over" He said darkly.

Author Note: Chapter 4 makes this official! This is the longest I have stuck to a story and still found inspiration. I really want to thank all of the people who have reviewed this story and especially my beta!

Thanks again Tawnyleaf!


	5. Chapter 5

Mark It Up

Author Note: This next part starts off where chapter 4 left Nathan; this is just after he has been kicked out of Rotti's office.

oOOo

Nathan stormed into his lab and threw the nearest object (which just happened to be the experiment he had been working on before this whole mess started) as hard as he could against the wall. He became a whirlwind of destruction around his lab, taking out his anger on beakers, pads of paper, and microscopes. By the time he had managed to get himself under control, nothing was left standing; even his table had been overturned.

His energy was gone, but he could still feel the anger and hurt burning in him. He pulled out his communicator and tried to call Mag again, wanting to warn her of Rotti's destructive plan. Cursing when he got the disconnected message again, he threw the communicator at the wall. He stormed up the stairs and noticed how late it was, the sun had gone down hours ago. He walked to the front door and yanked it open, reaching down he picked up the evening post. Pouring himself a scotch, he sat down in his armchair and ripped it open, nearly choking when he read what was written across the front page.

_'Rotti Largo to wed the Voice of Geneco!'_

_Article by Cherry Harry_

_Earlier today this reporter had the chance to attend an impromptu press conference on the Largo estate where some unexpected news was announced to the masses. Rotti Largo, age 54 and founder of Geneco, announced today his engagement to the Voice of Geneco, Blind Mag, age 36. The two met seventeen years ago when he heard her sing at then fiancée Marni Jones' 20th birthday party. While the engagement didn't last, Rotti was intrigued by the young soprano and offered her the chance to sing for his company in exchange for the opportunity to lose the disability that had plagued her since birth. During the years the two remained close friends and shared many triumphs in each other's careers, often appearing at charity functions together._

_The second revelation of the day was regarding a new member to the Geneco family, the young godchild of Mag, Shiloh. Due to some unknown family circumstances, Shiloh is currently living with the soprano. When asked about the child, the Geneco founder had this to say:_

"_Mag had told me about Shiloh a few years ago when she was diagnosed with a genetic blood disease. At the time we had believed her diagnosis was terminal, but I am now proud to say that after many years of research my team of scientists has come up with her cure."_

_When asked about his relationship with Blind Mag he gave this statement:_

"_Mag and I have both been working together for over sixteen years. We just grew close during that time. We both maintained a professional relationship up until a few days ago, but once the doctors had administered the cure to Shiloh I couldn't help myself. I proposed and she accepted."_

_This wedding is definitely shaping up to be the social event of the year. More news regarding it will __come as soon as it is made available._

Nathan stopped reading the article and closed his eyes, his heart breaking for both Mag and his daughter. He opened his eyes and looked at the pictures, fighting the urge to rip the paper into shreds.

Most of them were of Rotti's fake smile as he wrapped his arms around both Shiloh and Mag. There was one of Rotti standing with Mag and off toward the side with him holding up her hand to show the cameras the ring on her finger, but it was the last one broke his heart. Standing right next to Rotti, trying to make herself seem as small as possible, was Shiloh. But if he looked close enough, you could see her hand intertwined in Mag's, as if she was hoping that Mag could keep her safe.

Nathan crumpled the paper in disgust and threw it into the fireplace. He stood and walked over to pour himself another drink. After downing three glasses of liquor Nathan could barely see straight. He didn't even bother trying to get up and pulled the blanket Mag had used around himself. He took comfort in her scent clinging to it and passed out on the couch, sleeping fitfully the whole night.

It wasn't until Nathan woke with a splitting headache the next morning that he realized Rotti now had no need of him. Full of a nervous energy, he pulled himself off of the couch and leaped down the stairs to his lab. He scrounged through the broken bottles for a few moments until he came across some aspirin. He downed it dry and grabbed his Repo Uniform from the mannequin by the sink. Pulling it on and grabbing his tools, he exited through the secret passageway that led to Marni's grave.

He made it through the door just in time to hear the swarm of Rotti's men breaking into the house.

oOOo

Shiloh was on her bed curled up around her teddy bear. She had spent most of the morning that way and felt stiff. Her eyes were swollen and her throat hurt from crying so much, but she couldn't force herself to move.

oOOo

Mag had come in a little while after they had gotten home with a glass of water and tissues before retreating to her own bedroom. Once alone, Mag grabbed the picture of Nathan and Shiloh and held it close. She cried until she was so exhausted that she had no energy to do anything but sleep. Her dreams were nothing more than snippets of memories.

oOOo

The rumbling of her stomach finally roused Shiloh out of bed a few hours later. She climbed out of bed and winced as the muscles in her calves tightened. She balanced on one foot and rubbed each muscle until they stopped hurting and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

Scrounging through the cupboards produced the necessary ingredients for her father's favorite, and when Mag stumbled into the kitchen two hours later with swollen eyes and makeup tracked down her face, she found chili simmering on the stove and Shiloh pulling cornbread from the oven.

"I didn't know you could cook." Mag said simply. She silently walked over and dished them both a bowl of chili and set them down on the table.

Hating herself for doing this, Mag walked back into the living room and returned with the contract she had hastily thrown on her dresser, the urge to protect Shiloh made her stomach clench.

"I know it's a bad time, but we should probably look this over. Rotti will be back in the morning."

Shiloh nodded and sat down, pulling the contract towards her as she blew on her chili. Mag sat down next to her and studied the contract silently, suddenly finding it hard to swallow as she read what was expected of the child.

Shiloh frowned at the contract before reading it again slowly, not understanding what most of it meant. Mag caught the look and explained it to her in simple terms. "In exchange for your cure you agree to pose for pictures, do promotional work, and perform or be present at company functions for an unspecified amount of time. If you don't hold up on your end of the bargain you will be subjected to repossession."

Glaring at the papers Mag snorted in disgust. It was almost the exact duplicate of the one she had signed so long ago.

"I don't think I want to sign this." Shiloh whispered, setting the contract down in front of her. Mag closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I don't think you have a choice." Shiloh pushed the contract aside and looked down at her food with a sick feeling in her stomach, her appetite gone. Mag watched Shiloh play with her food for a minute before reaching out and grabbing her hand. She squeezed it gently before continuing. "I'll stand by you, whatever your decision."

Shiloh pushed the bowl away and wiped the tears out of her eyes, "It really is hopeless isn't it?"

Mag swallowed and looked down at her food before closing her eyes. "I hope not, but it seems that way."

After the kitchen was cleaned up, Shiloh grabbed her music book out of her bedroom. She flopped down on her bed and flipped through it, pulling out her father's favorite songs as she went. Mag stood by the door and looked at Shiloh.

"I know it may not be the right time for this, but if you ever want to talk..." She left the sentence hanging.

Shiloh felt her eyes fill with tears yet again and looked down at the book. Thinking about her father hurt too much. She whispered her thanks. Not lifting her eyes, she waited until Mag left her doorway. Right now she didn't think that she could bear to see the lost look on Mag's face. She walked into the living room and set the music on the piano. Her throat was still too sore to sing, so she added the melody on top of the chords.

Mag listened to Shiloh's playing from her room as she climbed back into bed, praying that they both would be able to get through this together.

oOOo

Nathan prowled the city in search of the redemption, his hatred driving him onwards. His thoughts were a tangled snarl of emotions and memories. He felt anger at Rotti for doing this to him, anger at himself for everything he had put his loved ones through, and even anger at the stupid Zydrate zombies for getting in his way that night. For some reason, his mind had decided that if he had just been able to get to Mag that night none of this would have ever happened, even though it most likely would have matters much worse.

These thoughts spurred him onward towards his goal of getting Shiloh and Mag out of Rotti's grasp. Several hours later he ran into a Repo Man repossessing the liver of a local minister. Usually he would ignore it, but tonight was different. Growling, Nathan grabbed the monster and slammed him against the wall, slashing his throat open and finishing him off before he was even aware of the attack. The minister watched in horror as Nathan saved his life, and scrambled away as soon as he realized he had been spared.

Nathan watched the man go and looked down at the corpse before him, feeling a strange sort of freedom as he realized what he had done. He stormed through the city and was able to stop several repossessions before he was caught by Rotti's henchmen. The fight that ensued damaged many of them before they were able to subdue him. There were barely enough men left standing to carry the unconscious Nathan into the empty cell in the Geneco tower basement.

oOOo

Shiloh had gotten up early the next morning. Nightmares of Rotti hurting the only person Shiloh had left in the world had kept her up all night. She had not bothered to change out of her pajamas and was pacing her bedroom when a pale-looking Mag opened the door in much the same state as Shiloh was (Shiloh hadn't pegged Mag as a t-shirt and sweatpants person for some reason; she had seemed a bit too refined for that).

"Rotti is here Shiloh. It's about the contract."

She followed Mag into the living room and nodded at Rotti before taking a seat opposite him on the couch, biting her lip as she looked down at the contract sitting on the table in between them. Rotti had already signed it and was looking at her expectantly. When she made no move towards it, he pushed the contract towards her and held out a pen.

Shiloh reached out and took the pen from him, twirling it in her hands as she came to a decision. She set the pen down and looked up at him, her voice quavering as she made her only demand.

"I want to choose my own music." She said, looking up at him. With a determined look she pushed the contract away.

Rotti stared at her for a moment before giving a big belly laugh. "I realize that you are grieving right now, but my dear, you aren't really in a position to be making demands."

Anger gave Shiloh strength, and she slammed her hands down and stood up. She grabbed her music off the piano and slapped them on the table in front of him. She glared down at him, fire flashing in her eyes. "If you can't accept my terms then we have no deal."

Rotti picked up the music and read it, looking up at her as she continued.

"You can't just take me from the only home I have ever known, kidnap my godmother, force her to agree to marry you in exchange for me, separate me from my father and then torment him into killing himself without expecting me to ask you for something." Shiloh spun around and grabbed the contract from the table, shoving it into Rotti's hands and crossing her arms. "I know that you only cured me to spite my father. This stupid rivalry you've had with him ended the day he killed himself. Guess what? You won, you bastard."

Rotti had paled as Shiloh listed his crimes. He opened his mouth to try to take control of the situation but Shiloh held up her hand.

"You can choose where I live, dictate how I'm supposed to look and force me to pose for publicity but I will not compromise on this. My father always told me that my mother wanted nothing more than for me than to follow my heart and I will not betray her memory by losing the one thing that makes me who I am!"

Rotti sat back in the chair and looked at the girl. Her long, dark hair fell over her shoulders and her eyes flashed as she tried to calm herself down. Rotti couldn't believe how much she looked like her mother.

"I can see this means a lot to you." He stated slowly. He stood. "I will have my lawyer draw up a new contract with your specifications, but I want no further demands. You will do exactly as I tell you or you will never perform any of your own music again."

Shiloh watched Rotti walk out, back straight and eyes full of anger, the very picture of strength and victory. But as soon as she saw the limo pass through the front gates she collapsed on the couch with her face in her hands. Mag was at her side in an instant, worry evident on her face. Shiloh gave a little laugh and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I have never been so scared in my life."

Mag breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Shiloh, pride etched on her face. "I don't think my heart can take another meeting like that. I was so worried that Rotti would force you to do it using me as leverage. I can't believe he gave in like that."

Shiloh bit her lip and nodded in agreement before gathering up her music and gently placing it back into her book.

oOOo

Rotti stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind him, climbing into the waiting limo. He fumed at himself for giving in so easily.

He hated this growing need to give Shiloh everything she wanted, he couldn't understand it. If Mag had spoken to him like that he would have slapped her. Even worse, he had never felt this way about his own daughter.

Yet, somewhere in the very corner of his heart felt oddly proud of the girl for her negotiation strategy. Trying to shake the unwelcome feelings of tenderness, he turned his thoughts to the accusations Shiloh had made against him. Slamming his cane against the floor of the limo he cursed at Mag. She just had to tell Shiloh about their little deal. He should have realized that Mag would keep nothing from her. Maybe allowing Mag to have her until the wedding wasn't such a good idea.

He knew that Mag was in love with Nathan. But, he would be damned if he let him get away with stealing the woman he loved again. Fury poured from every inch of his body as he realized the ramifications of his last thought.

He was in love with Mag. Damn.

He ripped out his cell phone and dialed his security team, yelling at the first person who answered the phone.

"Where is Nathan Wallace?" He snarled, nearly screaming when he was informed of last night's apprehension. "Why wasn't I told about this?" He demanded, growling when the man tried to explain.

"I don't want excuses you imbecile, I want results!" Rotti slapped the phone closed and glared out the window, his hatred boiling up until it consumed him. He wasted no time in storming down to the basement of the tower to take his anger out on Nathan. Nathan was the cause of all his problems.

He shoved the head of security out of the way and looked at the monitor showing Nathan in the cell, grinning madly when he saw the man was up and pacing the room. He reached out and grabbed a tazer from one of his henchmen before walking into the cell. Swinging it at Nathan he pressed the button.

"How dare you steal from me again?" Rotti demanded. "Wasn't it enough that you stole Marni away from me?" He shocked Nathan again. "You just had to steal Mag as well. Are you going to take everything I want? "

He watched as Nathan tried to lift himself off the ground. Anger again consumed him and Rotti hit him over the head with the wand, taking a small amount of satisfaction from the fact that a very loud grunt had come from the now prone form.

"That Shiloh is a stubborn child. But, rest assured Nathan, I will soon cure her of that."

"Don't you lay a hand on her!" Nathan snarled as he tried to get up again.

Rotti laughed and shocked him again, holding the button down a little longer this time. "The audacity of that child... to make demands after I gave her life. She is just as stubborn and reckless as her mother was."

Nathan dodged the shock, and literally saw red at the murderous rage that now descended on him at Rotti's last slur of Marni, he lunged at Rotti. If he had done this under normal circumstances, Rotti would have been a dead man, but the tazer had taken its toll, he was weak and uncoordinated. He found himself back on the floor as Rotti came at him again, getting clubbed for his trouble.

"She hates me because of you telling her things that you had no business too. But don't worry, given enough time she'll change her tune." He laughed at his own little joke and turned up the voltage on the taser, once again shocking Nathan.

By the time Rotti was finished with him, Nathan could barely wiggle his toes.

"I want him patched up as soon as possible." He snarled as he stormed out of the cell, tossing the wand at the nearest person. "I want to know the second he is back to full health!"

I know this chapter is kinda short, but it gets the point across doesn't it ;-)

If you like what you've read please take a moment to review the story. I enjoy hearing people's opinions, both good and bad.

Emengee

Tawnyleaf, you have done it again!

Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Woot To My Peeps!

lol

I (and my beta Tawnyleaf) give you Chapter 6!

Seventeen/Chromaggia

One month later

oOOo

Shiloh woke suddenly, and for a few moments she looked around. She had dreamt of her dad again, and even though she had lived here for a while, sometimes she still expected to wake up in her old room. Pulling herself out of bed, Shiloh walked into her bathroom. She washed her face, but when she lifted her head, she stopped again to look at her reflection. The face staring back at her hardly resembled the one that had existed only weeks before, it was healthier and more filled out, there was even color in her cheeks and a luster in to her hair that hadn't been there before.

Softly humming to herself, she smiled as she heard the shower turn on in Mag's room. She stood silently and listened hard, almost laughing when she heard Mag's voice carry all the way to where she was standing. They both had a habit of singing in the shower, and joked about it often.

Rotti had come through on the contract; both of them had signed it the day after Shiloh had made her demand. After that, things started happening quickly. The cure-all for blood diseases had been given a name and Shiloh had been photographed for the new "True Blood" ads. After the photo shoot it had taken her over an hour to wash out all of the hairspray and glitter from her hair. She had a newfound sympathy for Mag, because she had to have this done every time she did a show, and Rotti's new favorite pastime seemed to be getting their pictures in the papers. Shiloh suspected that he let the paparazzi know whenever they left the property. It took some getting used to seeing herself on television and in magazines. She hated whenever they were followed by the media.

Shiloh studied herself, taking in the eyelash extensions and loosely curled hair before grabbing her brush off the counter. She tugged on a lock as she remembered the fight Mag had gotten into with the hair stylist.

He hadn't spoken a word of English and had chased her around the salon in an effort to pin her down to chop off her hair. He had been about to make the first cut when Mag had walked in. Quickly assessing the situation, she swooped, snatching the scissors out of his hand and smacked him upside the head with them. Turning into a diva she had screamed at him in Italian until he had tears in his eyes. Then, with a twinkle in her eyes, Mag had sweetly asked Shiloh how she wanted her hair done. Remembering the day she had met Mag, Shiloh told her what she wanted. Mag winked at her and gave the man instructions before sitting down with a magazine. Shiloh hadn't been fooled though; she could see Mag's eyes darting up at the man, watching each move he made like a hawk. He had shaken the whole time he had worked on her hair. Reflecting on it later, Shiloh realized that was probably the first time in a very long while that Mag had been able to assert any kind of authority over anyone.

As they had walked out of the building, Shiloh had run her hands through the new curls and wondered aloud about what Mag could have said to him to scare him so badly. Mag had offhandedly remarked that she had threatened to cut off a certain part of his anatomy with his own scissors if he didn't stop and listen. Shiloh had laughed at that, the first time she had since her father had died.

Rotti hadn't stopped at the makeover though. He had both Mag and Shiloh in the studio to record new songs for the True Blood launch party. Contrary to what Shiloh thought, Mag had once found her studio to be a safe haven. As long as she had recorded the music Rotti liked, he had left her alone. Now he hovered in the background, surrounded by wedding planners and snapping at them whenever he got the chance. Mag's nerves were slowly fraying, and she found herself withdrawing more and more with each passing day, only finding solace in Shiloh. Every night before she crawled into bed, she found herself praying that something would happen to stop the wedding and set her free. But, Shiloh had seemed to have found stability in her life now, and Mag was not selfish enough to take it away from the girl.

The real fight, though, had come when it came time for Mag and Shiloh to record a duet together.

Rotti had chosen a song he thought would be best when Shiloh had thrown her first hissy fit.

"My contract states that will I only sing songs that I have chosen. Therefore, you can't force me to sing this."

Rotti was about to explode. Mag had somehow managed to choke back her laughter so far, but the sight of Shiloh petulantly stamping her foot like a two year old was too much and she had laughed until she couldn't breathe despite Rotti's death-stare at her. She had unknowingly paid for her laughter later when Rotti had gotten to the tower. His new favorite hobby was shocking Nathan into submission each time Shiloh or Mag failed to toe his line.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Shiloh picked up her toothbrush.

The last month had been torture for her until she accepted the fact that her father was gone. It had actually hit her in the middle of the funeral. She had run away as fast as she could down the hall and out the door, even managing to push aside the guards that tried to grab her as she fled. Mag had slipped out the back door and followed her to her mother's grave. When she had found her she held Shiloh until she had stopped crying, singing a soft lullaby until the girl had calmed down enough to breathe.

By the time Shiloh had felt like she could go back and say goodbye most of the mourners had left; only Rotti's guard remained. That had started the healing process for her; slowly she was coming back out of her shell and embracing her life.

Once she was finished with her morning ritual she walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen, smiling at Mag, who was picking at a plate of scrambled eggs. She slid into her chair at the table and accepted the plate Mag offered her. She didn't notice that Mag's breakfast was actually untouched or that the singer's eyes were red-rimmed and had large dark circles under them.

The relationship between the two of them had quickly become that of a mother and daughter during the time they had spent together. They had bonded over memories of Nathan and the many things they had in common. It had had helped them both endure their life as Rotti's playthings.

Rotti himself, unknown to them both, had been delighted by this update. The sooner they molded into a family unit, the sooner Rotti felt he could dispose of Nathan safely.

As soon as Shiloh had finished her eggs, Mag had smiled at the girl and pulled out a brightly wrapped box, setting it down she burst into an overly dramatic rendition of Happy Birthday in full out opera. Shiloh giggled and applauded when Mag was finished. Ripping into the paper, she lifted the lid and gasped when she saw what was inside. A pair of chocolate eyes looked up at her and small barks filled the kitchen. Shiloh hugged Mag and squealed before picking the puppy up out of the box, laughing when he started licking whatever he could get close too. Shiloh grinned and reached into the box to pull out a few toys. As she dropped them each on the floor, the puppy had momentarily stopped his search of the house to growl at the tug rope, which elicited giggles from Shiloh and even a grin from Mag. The three of them walked out into the yard and started to throw the toy around, ignoring the guard posted to keep them under surveillance.

Unbeknownst to Shiloh, the guard that trailed them wherever they went was the one that had assaulted Mag in the limo. Mag had panicked at first when she realized that Rotti had posted the guard himself, wondering if he could know what had happened. She had kept that story from Shiloh though, and was trying her best to ignore his wolf whistles every time she left the house alone. He hadn't done anything truly harmful yet, but anytime he managed to catch her gaze, he smiled lecherously and made a great show of trying to stare down her shirt.

The puppy soon became exhausted and they went back inside. Shiloh was delighted with the dog and couldn't wait to figure out his name.

"I'm going to wait until I get his personality." She replied when Mag asked her what she thought a good name would be.

Later, Shiloh had gotten another birthday surprise. As she made her bed she found a little disc that Mag had somehow slipped under her pillow without Shiloh noticing. When she popped it into the player, she had been delighted to find that Mag had copied some of her favorite memories to a video disk. One in particular stood out, it had almost felt surreal.

It had been her mother's first ultrasound, and Shiloh had seen (through Mag's eyes of course) the whole thing. Mag's eyes had stayed on Marni's face the whole time, only occasionally looking up to watch Nathan. Finally, the nurse doing it had smiled and pointed at the screen. Mag's gaze had snapped up and stayed on the screen, studying each and every detail she could. Then Shiloh had heard a small voice full of wonder ask if Mag would be the baby's godmother. Laughing through her tears Mag had accepted.

It was almost as if their joy seemed to reach across the years and fill the room, comforting Shiloh in a way that she hadn't thought possible.

Before either of them had noticed the day had slipped away, the sun setting and sending golden streaks across the sky. Shiloh would have preferred to spend the night at home, but Rotti had decided to throw her a birthday Gala/launch party at the tower.

Shiloh again retreated to her bathroom. Looking at her reflection yet again in the mirror she ran her fingers through her hair, thankful that it required almost no maintenance. She quickly slapped on some makeup and pulled on an evening dress. Rotti had picked it out, and she felt entirely too exposed in it. Slipping on a pair of high heels, she tottered slightly as she adjusted to them. Rotti had insisted that Shiloh start wearing them because of her lack of height, ignoring her protests and reminding her of the deal she had made him.

Shopping had been an experience, the image consultant had almost fainted when he saw her hand me down clothes and the flats on her feet. She had spent nearly five hours being shoved, pulled, thrown, and dumped out of clothing until she had a whole new wardrobe better suited for a runway then loafing around Mag's cottage.

In protest to Rotti's demands, Shiloh had taken to raiding Mag's closet, happily 'borrowing' several articles of clothing. Most memorable was when she had worn a 'Got Opera' t-shirt to dinner at the main house. Rotti had taken one look at her and laughed, the sound piercing the quiet house. Shiloh had expected anger from Rotti but he had been amused.

"It seems I cannot keep you from your own style, but please don't wear anything like that in public." He had then promptly opened a bottle of wine.

The evening had gone a little different for Mag, for after refusing his offer of a glass she stuck with drinking water. As the dinner went on, the nausea forming in Mag's stomach had grown with every glass Rotti tipped back. By the time Rotti had drunk himself under the table, it was all Mag could do to not throw up all over the tablecloth. She had been confused at his behavior, but decided not to dwell on it. Instead she had focused on the fact that Shiloh had started to feel groggy around desert. Her worry grew as Shiloh began to get dizzy. Finally she put an end to the dinner, figuring that Rotti was too drunk to notice anyway. Mag helped Shiloh into the limo, telling her to lay down and put her head in her lap as Shiloh was overcome with a wave of nausea. Finally making it back to the cottage, Mag had to physically carry Shiloh to her bed.

That was, at least what Mag had told her had happened. She couldn't really remember anything after Rotti remarking on her shirt.

Shrugging on a fancy jacket Shiloh joined Mag as they left the house. She heard Mag curse a few times, as she tried to get comfortable in the ridiculous dress Rotti had chosen for her to wear. Mag commented several times during the ride that the design of the dress left nothing to be imagined, and that she was practically naked. The ride was fairly quiet, Shiloh didn't notice how on-edge Mag was, and they both mentally groaned when they saw the camera flashes surrounding the tower. Shiloh had learned fairly quickly to put up with the media circus that seemed to be everywhere she went, realizing that if she smiled and waved she could quickly walk past them.

When they arrived at the tower the reporters and photographers were being held behind dividers, making the walk into the lobby that much easier than usual. Mag and Shiloh had posed for pictures before entering the building, both anxious to get out of the limelight. Walking into the main room they found that to be impossible for within moments they were surrounded by well wishers and random status cravers. Excusing herself from the crowd Shiloh walked around and took in the decorations, a little guilty for leaving Mag to fend for herself, but the feeling quickly passed when she saw how the singer was handling them.

Looking around, she saw that interior of the building was no longer filled with posters of just Mag. The duplicates had been taken down and replaced with pictures of Shiloh that Rotti had insisted be taken. Rather than facing the images of herself staring into her soul she ran her fingers along the wall as she ducked out of people's way, making small talk to the ones that stopped her.

After a particularly painful conversation with one of the board members for Geneco Shiloh grabbed drinks from a nearby waiter and walked over to speak with one of the few reporters that had been invited to the party.

Cherry Harry was a vision of color, his neon orange high heels and pink streaks made him stand out, and his equally colorful personality made him the only reporter Shiloh could stand to be around. He smiled as he watched her approach and took the drink from her, completely aware of her discomfort.

"Hey there Shy Girl." He said as he knocked back the drink, making a face when he realized that it was only spiced cider. Shiloh laughed at his expression.

"I'm only seventeen, I don't drink alcohol." Cherry Harry groaned and signaled the nearest waiter to get some Champagne, pulling out his tape recorder as he did so. Switching to reporter mode he started pumping her for information.

"Would you care to tell the folks at home how your birthday is going?"

Shiloh smiled and told him what had happened that day, starting with the birthday song and ending with her arrival at the party.

"How do you feel about the Genecos' new product?" Harry pressed, giving up all pretenses that this was just a casual conversation between friends. Shiloh (ever the diplomat) smiled and told him exactly what Rotti had told her too.

"It's a dream come true for me." She gushed. "I get the chance to be a normal kid now. No more hiding away, wearing a mask every time I go out. I can do anything now and I can't thank Rotti enough for giving that to me." Cherry Harry started throwing out questions like they were hot coals, many of them painful to answer. Cherry had just asked her how she felt about her father's death when Rotti walked over and wrapped an arm around the girl, excusing themselves he lead her over to the piano sitting in the middle of the room.

Shiloh breathed a sigh of relief, amazed at how grateful she felt towards Rotti for saving her from that question. She then realized what he wanted her to do and fixed a fake smile on her face. Rotti smiled at her and gathered everyone's attention, silencing the room with his loud voice.

"I want to thank you all for coming tonight; we can't express our gratitude at all of the donations being made tonight for our chosen charity. As a treat I have asked Shiloh to perform a little piece for you. Before she does she is going to say a few words."

Rotti pushed Shiloh forward and hissed instructions at her under his breath before walking over to stand by Mag, placing his arm around her as he watched Shiloh take a seat at the piano. If he noticed how Mag had stiffened when he touched her, he didn't let on. Shiloh smiled met the eyes of the many guests, her strong voice reaching the corners of the room as she introduced herself.

"As you all know my name is Shiloh and I just want to thank you for coming tonight. This charity means a lot to me, and I am happy that other children suffering from the same disease I once had are now going to get the help the deserve. Just a few moments ago Rotti asked me to sing something for you tonight and the song I chose is one I wrote for my father a few days after he died. He spent my whole life trying to find my cure and never got to see me get better." Shiloh placed her hands on the ivory keys, and her voice wavered as she finished her speech. "I wish he were here tonight."

The opening chords of the song struck silence through the room, the feelings Shiloh had experienced ran through each and every one of them as she sang. When she had finished no one dared move for fear of breaking the quiet that filled the room. Shiloh looked up towards the ceiling and wiped away the single tear that had trailed down her cheek. She stood up and gave a little curtsy, prompting loud applause to fill the room.

oOOo

Mag watched the girl struggle to hold it together and made a move to walk over and give her some support. As if he read her mind, Rotti's grip tightened just enough to keep her where she was. She debated for a second whether or not to yank herself free.

The closer the wedding came the more possessive Rotti had gotten, prowling around Mag as if she were a female in heat. The night that she and Shiloh had dinner at the main house had prompted Mag to start sleeping with her baseball bat, locking every door and often trying to stay awake all throughout the night.

oOOo

After Mag had helped Shiloh into bed, she had gotten increasingly frantic, and just as she picked up the phone to call a doctor, she had heard a knock on the door. Rotti.

Mag had let him in and was in the process of telling him Shiloh was sick when he had grabbed her, pushing her back. She struggled with him and tried to get him to let go, protesting that Shiloh was in the other room. Rotti had chuckled and Mag nearly gagged at the smell of alcohol that flew across her face.

"Shiloh won't wake up any time soon, I image right now that she is dead to the world. Rohypnol will do that to you, though it is positively ancient."

Mag had kicked him in the shin and backed up, bumping into the couch as she looked at him in horror. "You drugged her?" She asked, moving around the sofa to put it between them. Rotti followed, surprisingly agile for someone so drunk. She tried to make it to the door, but he grabbed her arm as she darted past him, swinging her around and shoving her into the wall. Her head slammed against it, and for a moment she actually saw stars. He pressed himself up against her and grinned when she turned her face away from him.

"It was the only way to make sure she slept through this."

Mag had panicked when he leaned forward to kiss her neck. In an entirely instinctive move, she brought her knee up hard, sending Rotti to the floor in pain.

She made a mad dash into her bedroom and picked up the baseball bat, gripping it tightly as she waited for Rotti to come after her again. When he entered her bedroom in a rage she had swung at him, catching him in the stomach and bringing him to his knees. "Get out of my house!" She hissed at him as he struggled to stand up. Rotti glared at her and took a step towards her, calling her a few choice words; it was nothing she hadn't heard before.

"Touch me again and you'll be lucky if I let you leave in one piece."

Rotti had pulled himself up to his full height and sneered at her. "I expect you will get over this shyness soon enough. Once we are married you won't have a choice in the matter." She had paled at his words and took a step back. "If not, well..." He let the sentence hang and waved a hand in the direction of Shiloh's bedroom. "I guess Shiloh could always come live with me."

Mag stood firm and checked her grip on the bat, only letting it drop once Rotti had left the house. As soon as she heard the engine start she collapsed onto the floor, drawing her knees up and sobbing most of the night. Hours after the tears had left her she had sat that way, shaking so badly that her teeth were chattering and wishing with all her being that Nathan were here to hold her in his arms.

oOOo

Rotti held Mag where she was for a few moments, letting the girl cry. Tears were always good for publicity, even if they were tears for Nathan. He couldn't count the times he had asked Amber or Mag to cry while promoting some product of his. Soon though, he deemed that she had been left long enough and led Mag to stand by Shiloh, lowering his arm to wrap it around her waist once they reached the girl. His voice rose over the conversations that had started, calling all attention to their little group.

"I just wanted to make a few more announcements before the unveiling of our newest product, the first being that tickets go on sale tomorrow morning for Mag's upcoming concert."

Applause filled the room and Rotti smiled before continuing. "The second is that the day after the concert Mag and I will be getting married." The sound of thunderous applause filled the room and Rotti basked in it, slowly counting down until it was perfect to let Mag and Shiloh go.

oOOo

After a few moments of polite clapping both Mag and Shiloh were able to slip away.

Shiloh made a quick round of the room before seeing Mag duck into the stairwell. Shiloh followed her into the bathroom on the next floor to see if she was okay. The sound of retching filled the room and made Shiloh cringe. She quickly found Mag and held her hair out of her face until she had stopped being sick. Helping her stand up, and walk over to the sink. Mag splashed water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror to retouch her makeup. Meeting Shiloh's eyes she sighed.

"Each time he mentions the wedding I get sick to my stomach. I don't know how I am going to get through the next couple of days."

Shiloh took in Mag's appearance really looking at her for the first time in almost a month. Underneath the makeup she had lost weigh and had dark circles under her eyes. Shiloh put her hand on Mag's shoulder and squeezed it, the contact reassuring to the singer. "Whatever happens we at least have each other." Shiloh said. Mag smiled weakly, and finished fixing her smudged eyeliner. Arm in arm they both left the bathroom.

When they returned to the lobby the first thing they saw were the advertisements for True Blood. A larger-than-life Shiloh smiled down at them as she spoke about her life.

Shiloh cringed at the video and hid behind Mag, keeping her eyes down as they made their way back over to Rotti. Lightly touching his arm to get his attention, Mag interrupted his conversation with yet another desperate reporter.

"I really hate to do this right now, but I think it would be best if Shiloh and I went home. I think I caught a bug and I want to rest before rehearsals tomorrow." Rotti studied her face and nodded, quickly planting a kiss on her cheek before letting her go. Mag hoped the reporter hadn't caught the way she had flinched. Just to be sure, she looked at him and smiled. There was no confusion. Good, he hadn't. There would be nothing in the papers about Mag hating her fiancée.

The reporter Rotti had been speaking with ate it up and changed the focus on his entire article; Mag's retreat had given him a new angle, but he had been so busy scribbling ideas that he hadn't noticed the way she had stiffened. Quietly he slipped away and made a beeline to his manager, who was also present, and began to pitch his new article.

As they climbed into the limo Mag cast her mind back to the incident days before, hoping that things would get better after the wedding. Her anxiety had become so bad that she had snuck away while out shopping for Shiloh's birthday present to see her doctor. When he saw how much weight she had lost he had prescribed some mild sedatives, telling her that he was sure that her health issues were just nerves over the upcoming wedding. He had told her he would call her when the results of the blood work came back and she had gone back to the pet store to get the puppy she had already picked out. Her guard had no idea that she had even slipped away, and she was able to keep it a secret from everyone.

When they arrived home Shiloh, Mag and the puppy spent that night curled up on the couch watching home movies, their quiet laughter and tears comforting them as they thought of what was going to happen in the next few days.

oOOo

Nathan paced his cell, his anger growing each time Rotti came in to torture him. He let it build inside him for the day that Rotti made a mistake, as the wedding drew closer it looked like it was bound to happen soon. The last few times Rotti had come in he had described the things he was going to do to Mag, each idea punctuated by a jolt from the tazer.

Rotti was careful to never leave him any permanent damage, just enough to torture him into submission. Earlier that day Rotti had sent in one of his men to give Nathan the daily dose of torture, sending a video feed directly into Rotti's office.

Lying on his bed, Nathan thought about his daughter. He sang happy birthday in a quiet voice as he dreamed of being with her again, including Mag in his little fantasy. It was late that night when Rotti burst into his cell and beat Nathan into a bloody pulp. This time he didn't speak, just clubbed Nathan until he was a bloody mess on the floor and left.

The doctor had rushed in and sedated him before treating the wounds; he hated to see what his boss was doing to this man.

oOOo

The next day was cloudy, much like Mag's mood. She had gotten up early and read Nathan's letter, as she did every day. She took a quick shower and halfheartedly straightened her hair, cursing Rotti once again for having this particular style be his choice. It took almost 30 minutes for her curls to become even somewhat tame.

Finally finished getting her long hair into the waves that were required of her, she made breakfast for Shiloh. When she was done with that as well, she walked into the girl's bedroom to wake her. Pushing the door open she laughed when she realized that the puppy had already beaten her to it.

Shiloh groaned each time the puppy jumped on her, rolling over to get away from him. Becoming annoyed he growled at her, biting her hair and pulling until she sat up. Mag laughed at the sight of the two of them, Shiloh's hair resembling that of a wild banshee and the puppy sprawled in her lap begging for her attention. Pretending to be frustrated, Shiloh grabbed the brush off of her nightstand and struggled with her hair for a moment before giving up. This morning she didn't quite have the energy to fight with it so she decided to try again after breakfast. Getting impatient, the puppy jumped down from the bed and barked at her. Shiloh groaned and climbed out of bed.

"Yes Maestro." She said as she followed the puppy into the kitchen and filled his bowl. Shaking her head, Mag followed the girl into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal as Shiloh scooped eggs out of the pan onto her plate.

Breakfast this morning was a silent affair, both women lost in thought as they contemplated the changes in their lives, and Mag dreading the coming rehearsal. Breaking the silence Mag set her orange juice down and cleared her throat.

"I know it's really early, but I was wondering if you would like to come to the opera house with me for my dress rehearsal."

Shiloh smiled and nodded, her mood lifting at the thought of seeing Mag perform. She had been with her during the recording stages and rehearsals at the studio, but the rehearsals today would involve full costumes.

Mag quickly got dressed and waited in the living room for Shiloh, grinning when she took in her choice of clothing. Recognizing the pair of black leggings and thick belt from her own closet she made a comment on them. Shiloh had paired them with one of the tops she had been forced to buy, mourning the loss of her own clothing.

The ride to the opera house didn't take long, and again was silent. Mag's nerves were frayed and Shiloh was tired. When the two of them arrived, they went backstage and waited for the makeup artist. Shiloh looked at the rack of clothing that held the costumes for the show, gently running her fingers over the fabric until she caught site of two white garment bags hanging up.

"Are those for the wedding?" Shiloh asked, swallowing hard. Mag grimaced and opened the first bag, pulled out a long white dress, the skirts tumbling out and spilling to the floor. Her wedding dress. As far as dresses go, was beautiful. The material floated and the tiny gems sewn to the bodice shimmered in the light.

"It's beautiful!" Shiloh gasped her voice filled with awe. Mag smiled at her reaction.

"I designed it years ago; I always wanted to get married in it. It's a pity I have to waste it on Rotti." Mag quickly shut the dress back in the bag and pulled out Shiloh's dress, smiling as she saw her reaction. "If I have to marry the beast, we might as well look pretty."

A short while later Shiloh had left Mag at the mercy of the Italian hair stylist, grinning when he gave her a wide berth as he passed. She walked around the theater for a while before claiming a seat in the front row, pulling her legs up beside her when the lights dimmed. The music started and Mag came on stage, the haunting melody she sang echoing through the corners of the room. Shiloh felt chills go up and down her spine, and Mag's voice raised the hair on the back of Shiloh's neck. The scenery, costumes, and fog that charged across the stage set the mood of the entire concert.

oOOo

Rotti had come in halfway through the concert and had been listening from the back of the auditorium; he had remained unseen until Mag had started the last song. Stepping forward he came up behind Shiloh and took a seat, his eyes never leaving her as she moved about the stage.

Shiloh felt Mag stiffen as she sang the last song, her voice never wavering but her body screaming its discomfort. Mag excused herself as quickly as possible once she had finished the song; Rotti's gaze had unnerved her and she wanted out of his eyesight as soon as possible. In her haste to get away she bumped into her guard as she ducked into her dressing room, calling out a hasty apology and trying not to let on that he had unnerved her almost as much as Rotti had. Shiloh quickly followed Mag into her dressing room and shut the door behind her, ignoring Rotti as she passed. Rotti followed her backstage but didn't enter the dressing room; instead he pulled Mag's guard off to the side and instructed him to stay on Mag's tail until the wedding. He would not allow her to escape him again.

The guard gave him his word he would not let her out of his sight, his thoughts going to Mag as Rotti walked out of the opera house. He slowly reached up and touched the new scars on his cheek and grinned.

This was going to be fun.

oOOo

Oooohhhh, ominous!

Clicky clicky the little blue button and let me know what you think :)


	7. Chapter 7

Special Author Note: I want to give credit to my Beta Tawnyleaf for co-writing parts of this chapter and for all of the editing and suggestions.

Now that the important stuff is out of the way, here is chapter 7!

At The Opera Tonight/Let The Monster Rise

It all seemed to pass so quickly. It was as if time had sped up. Tomorrow was the concert, the day after, her wedding. Finishing up with the final dress rehearsal, Mag bowed to the imaginary audience and left the stage. Her countenance immediately changed as soon as she was off stage. She made her way to her dressing room.

She sat down at her vanity and looked into her reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back at her seemed to be a stranger. She was going to marry Rotti. She was actually going to go through with it.

Rotti had stayed away for the last couple of days. In fact, he only showed up when he needed something from them.

Again, time seemed to be moving faster than she was. Shiloh had already shot her first music video. Shiloh had fun making it, from what Mag heard. The band put together for the shoot looked like kids she might have known when she was growing up. After it was finished, Rotti announced that the video was going to be released at the concert before Mag came on, allowing the masses a glimpse of what was to come.

Today Rotti had stopped in to speak with Mag about the carnival they were going to after the rehearsal. He had talked and she had nodded, as usual. He still acted like she was his slave, despite the fact that in mere days she was to become his wife.

Feelings of dread washed over Mag as she glanced down at the ring on her finger. The diamond was very large, very shiny, and obviously expensive. It felt as if it weighed down her hand, and any time she felt it move or she glanced at it, the sight made her heart heavy. More than once she had ripped it off to throw it across the room but stopped herself for one very important reason. And, that reason was now walking into her dressing room.

Shiloh pulled the door closed behind her and smiled at Mag, hoping that she could distract her from the thoughts that were troubling her.

"You were amazing!" She gushed as she dropped down on the love seat and swung her legs up. Mag gave the girl a weak smile and turned around to look at her.

"Thank you for being here, when Rotti showed up I kind of lost it." She said, standing up. Shiloh smiled again and grabbed a cookie from the tray on the small table, munching happily as Mag ducked behind the changing screen to get out of her costume. "Can you hand me that green dress over there?" She called as she hung the gown she had been wearing over the back of the screen. Shiloh walked over and grabbed it, frowning when she saw the one hanging next to it labeled 'Shiloh'.

"Why is there an outfit here for me?" She asked as she handed Mag her dress. Mag's head popped out from behind the screen.

"Tonight is the carnival in Sanitarium Square. Don't tell me, you forgot?"

Shiloh cringed and turned back to the dress. "That's right! Rotti gave me the choice of doing a stint in the kissing booth or singing a new song."

Mag laughed. "I can see why you repressed that particular memory." She said as she walked out from behind the screen, smoothing down the front of her dress as she did so. Due to its modestly Shiloh had to conclude that Mag had picked this one out herself. Her suspicion was confirmed when Mag gave a little twirl and winked at her. "I 'accidentally' left the dresses Rotti wanted us to wear at home." She said as she ushered Shiloh behind the screen. "You can change here."

The carnival was always an event Mag looked forward to, despite the fact that she was there to be seen. It brought back memories of her childhood with Nathan, and more recent ones with Marni.

The two women made their way from booth to booth, talking and laughing as they walked. The fact that the guard was following them seemed insignificant to the day they were having. They had walked the booths for about an hour before Shiloh was pulled up on a makeshift stage by Rotti. She was having such a good time that her smile was fairly genuine. After a few words were exchanged, the opening notes to one of her songs started playing and she threw herself into it. Once she was finished she ducked off the stage only to be grabbed by one of the crowd members, pulling her into a dance as another song started. Shiloh allowed him to twirl her and danced until the song ended, blushing as she signed the young man's chest before she rejoined Mag. Rotti watched her until she and Mag disappeared to look around again, hastening their retreat when they saw Rotti was surrounded by reporters.

Nothing had particularly caught their interest until they came across a small booth containing musical instruments and song books. They both walked into the tent, splitting up to look around. Shiloh enjoyed looking at all of the sheet music, unaware of the angry eyes that followed her every move.

oOOo

While Shiloh had been looking around Mag had ducked out the back to get some fresh air. The fumes from the next tent had filled the room (it turned out to be a petting zoo) and it was becoming hard to breathe. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against a post, her eyes watching the crowd through the alleyway between tents as they surged around.

"Imagine meeting you here." An oily voice purred from her right. Spinning around Mag quickly identified the man and stood her ground as she glared at him. Undeterred the guard stepped closer, leering as he came towards her. Mag had to fight the urge to run, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had scared her.

"Shouldn't you be watching me from a distance?" Mag asked sarcastically, fear making her defensive. The guard laughed and reached up to move a lock of hair from Mag's cheek. Jerking her head away and slapping at him she hissed.

"Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

He smirked and stepped forward so he was only inches away from her.

"The only reason I stopped the first time was because Rotti would have had my head. But it looks like now he wants me to keep my eyes on you until the wedding." Mag trembled slightly as he looked her up and down and leaned forward, her mind flashing back to the night Rotti had attacked her. She glared at him and pushed him aside, intent on going back to Shiloh. She had taken one step when the man grabbed her arm and spun her around, pulling her into an unwanted kiss. Outraged Mag shoved him away with all of her strength, pushing him into the post she had been leaning against. He growled at her, still smiling as he lurched forward to make another move on the singer.

oOOo

When Shiloh noticed that Mag had already exited the booth she scurried after her, looking around, but not seeing her. Walking forward she searched the crowd, smiling when she was recognized and trying not to bump into anyone.

"Well, well, well... Look what we have here." A sinister voice smarmed. Shiloh turned to her right and came face to face with Rotti's eldest son Luigi, taking a step backwards as he advanced, only to be stopped when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. Turning her head she became terrified when she saw it was Pavi who held her in place. Then she noticed Amber standing just beside him. Shiloh tried to duck out of Pavi's arms but was lead in between a couple of tents, prodded from behind by Amber when she struggled.

"If it isn't daddy's little favorite." Amber sneered, obviously running the show. Luigi took the spot next to her and smirked at Shiloh, who still trying to break free from Pavi's grip. He tightened his hold on her and laughed when she whimpered, looking to his sister for instructions. Amber took a step forward and jerked on Shiloh's chin, forcing her to look up at her as she spoke.

"I was all set to inherit Geneco. Everyone knew that." Pavi's grip on her arm loosened as he and his brother protested against those words. Amber refused to acknowledge them and continued.

"And then along comes little Shiloh, so sweet, so innocent, so sick. And poof! I'm cut off." She let go of Shiloh and spun around, ordering Luigi to hand her his knife. By that point Pavi had all but lost his grip on Shiloh's arm, allowing her to jerk free and spin around to dash into the crowd. The three of them ran after her but it was too late, the crowd had swallowed the girl and she was nowhere to be seen.

Shiloh had ducked back into the music tent once she was sure the Largo's had gone, exiting the tent in the back as she saw Luigi pass the entrance. Turning around she was greeted with the sight of Mag in an embrace with their guard. The first thing flashing through her head was the look on her father's face when he told her that he was in love with Mag, the second was an intense pain in her heart.

She was about to step forward and exclaim her outrage when Mag shoved the man away, the look on her face obviously one of disgust and, to Shiloh's surprise, fear. Nothing about Mag's behavior lately had made Shiloh suspicious about that particular guard.

The guard made a sound in the back of his throat and was about to grab Mag again when Shiloh grabbed the nearest thing and swung it at him. Just as he caught Mag's arm to yank her back, the guitar shattered as it made full contact with his stomach. The guard let Mag's arm go and fell to the ground. He lat there for a few seconds, winded and trying to suck in air. With every breath he managed to fill his lungs with, called Shiloh every name under the sun. He struggled into a standing position and lunged at Shiloh only to be hit with the neck of the guitar. Shiloh gripped the fret board and glared at the man.

"I've just had a nasty run in with the Largo's and I don't think you want to mess with me!" She snarled. The man seemed to be having second thoughts.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Rotti's personal guards seemed hauled the man up by his armpits. Rotti himself walked forward and sneered at him, ordering him to be locked up in the tower before turning to Mag. He took one look at her stunned expression and deduced that she was fine. He turned his attention to Shiloh, concerned as his eyes picked up how tightly she held the broken instrument.

"Shiloh it's alright, you can put that down now."

Looking down at the instrument in her hands she dropped the neck of the broken guitar as the hysteria built her throat.

"Oh my god!" She whimpered. This done, she promptly fainted.

Mag rushed to Shiloh's side as she fell, managing to catch her before her head hit the ground. "Shi, honey, it's okay, I won't let anything happen to you!" She whispered. With the help of Rotti's guards, she managed to get Shiloh into the limo that Rotti had called.

The drive home was mostly uneventful; Shiloh woke up and sat dazed for a few moments until Mag explained what had happened.

As soon as they had stopped the car in front of the cottage, Shiloh leapt out of the limo and ran as fast as she could towards the garden. Mag walked slowly after her, Shiloh had done this after her father's funeral and had always gone to the same spot. She followed the sounds of a crying Shiloh to one of the tree's growing against the concrete boundaries of the grounds. Looking up, she saw Shiloh between the leaves. Without hesitation she grabbed a low branch and pulled herself up, noting how long it had been since she herself had climbed the tree. She didn't say anything, just looked out over the wall and watched the city. The sun was going down. One thing she liked about living so far away from the center of Sanitarium City was the fact that on a very clear night you could occasionally see one or two stars struggling to shine through the polluted haze that was the sky.

Shiloh followed Mag's gaze until she spotted the hovercraft advertising Cornea Plus, complete with Mag singing. Sighing she looked back at Mag and asked her a question.

"Why are you doing this?"

Mag turned to look at Shiloh, a sad smile on her face. "You know why. Same reason that you sing for him too. If I don't then Rotti will repossess my eyes." Shiloh made an impatient sound and brushed the hair out of her face.

"That's not what I meant."

Mag closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Opening them again, she met Shiloh's eyes.

"I know what you meant."

She looked back up at the hovercraft and continued. "I am not going to let anything separate us; I made a promise to your mother and to you that I was going to be there for you. This is the only way I can keep it." She looked back at Shiloh and smiled. "Besides, Rotti isn't that bad."

Shiloh felt a lump forming in her throat at Mag's answer; she couldn't meet Mag's eyes as she chose her next words. "Yes he is that bad and you know it. You don't have to do this. I don't want to be the reason you-" Mag grabbed Shiloh's hand and interrupted her.

"Yes, I do. I am not going to let him take you away from me and I sure as hell am not going to leave you here on your own. I couldn't love you more if you were my own daughter. I am going to do what's best for you."

Tears were running down Shiloh's face as she took in what Mag said. The knowledge that Mag loved her filled her heart with a warm glow. She had known that Mag felt responsible for her, but she had no idea how much she cared. Squeezing Mag's hand she managed to choke out a whisper.

"You're the only mom I've ever known, I just don't want you to do something that will only bring you misery." Mag smiled and wiped the tears off Shiloh's cheeks.

"I would do anything for you sweetheart." Shiloh gave her a sad smile and started to climb down, looking up at Mag when she cleared her throat.

"Shiloh, don't laugh, but I think I'm stuck"

oOOo

After watching Mag and Shiloh climb out of the tree and go inside Rotti turned off his security monitor and turned to look at the Repo Man who was entering the office. He dropped a cooler on the table and quickly walked out, not wanting to be there any longer than he had to.

Rotti, for the first time feeling some semblance of regret, couldn't open it. He already knew what lie inside. One heart, one brain, and a face. This had been a very personal assignment, and he had used the best he had at his disposal next to Nathan.

Rotti stood up and dumped to whole cooler into the garbage chute, feeling numb as it disappeared into the darkness.

Now he had to plan three very formal funerals and make sure that every newspaper in Sanitarium City ran a remembrance article on the late children of Rotti Largo.

The feeling of sadness passed quickly. They were all leeches. Shiloh was twice the person any of them would ever be, and no one would threaten her without paying the consequences. No one.

oOOo

Mag woke very early the next morning to the sound of pouring rain. The dark clouds gave the sky an even darker appearance than usual. She turned over in bed, but quickly found that she couldn't sleep any longer. Finally she decided to get up and visit Marni's grave.

'At least the weather matches my mood.' She thought cynically. She ambled into her bathroom and brushed her semi-straight hair into two long braids; the stylist wouldn't expect her at the Opera House until much later that afternoon and she was determined to be as comfortable as she could until she had to stuff herself into a corset. She chose a pair of jeans and a nondescript shirt; today she didn't want to be recognized. She grabbed a coat and headed down to Shiloh's room and cracked open the door carefully, smiling when she saw the girl was sprawled across the bed with Maestro curled up at her feet.

Mag toyed with the idea of waking her until she saw Shiloh flip over and curl herself around her bear. She couldn't resist sending the image to her printer. She rooted around her bottom drawer in the kitchen for a while until she found an empty picture frame. She slid the picture inside and set the picture down on the mantle above the fireplace in her bedroom. The picture next to it though, was the one that caught her attention. Thoughts of Nathan filled her head as she sat down on her bed, her eyes never leaving the photo of Nathan holding baby Shiloh.

She felt nausea build in the back of her throat at the thought of giving herself to Rotti. The only thing keeping her from vomiting was the fact that there was no food in her stomach. She hated the thought of leaving Shiloh by herself, but suddenly the air inside felt stifling and she couldn't stay in the house any longer. She quickly called her driver and wrote a note to Shiloh, leaving it on the girl's bedside table.

oOOo

The cemetery looked the same as it always did; vandalized graves and broken headstones dotted her path as she walked over to her friend's grave.

She spoke quietly to Marni for a moment before turning to Nathan's grave, placing her hand on it as she thought of the night they had spent together in the hospital. Mag made a quick decision to leave the cemetery and head towards Shiloh's childhood home. She expertly avoided her guard and slipped out of his gaze.

The yard looked unkempt and the house dark, but that was to be expected. She had left her umbrella at Marni's grave so she could hide better behind gravestones, but had second thought when she realized that she was soaked through by the time she unlocked the door.

The darkness pressed all around her as she shut the door. She walked through the entrance, and let her eyes wander freely around the room. She noticed that everything had a thin layer of dust on it; the house had obviously not been touched since Nathan had died.

She walked through the house aimlessly, checking every room. Nathan's essence surrounded her and made her feel safe.

She walked back downstairs and was about to leave when she noticed that the fireplace was not fully pressed against the wall. A short investigation revealed to her that she could swing it out, leaving a passage behind it. She stepped inside carefully, not wanting to disturb anything. Near the end of the hallway, she saw a small light and she quickened her pace; this must be Nathan's lab.

Destruction met her from every angle. Tables were overturned and there were broken bottles everywhere.

She took one look around, her heart heavy. He couldn't have been in his right mind to do this much damage. She was about to turn and leave when a small whirring noise alerted her that a camera was set up nearby, undoubtedly used to record his experiments. She walked toward it and held it in her hands, puzzling out that it was programmed to start recording every time someone entered the lab.

Her stomach tightened as she realized that it would have recorded Nathan's death. For reasons she would never truly understand, she quickly grabbed the camera off its stand and grabbed the cables next to it. Taking it upstairs, she hooked it up to the TV and sat down to watch.

Mag watched as Nathan entered the lab, but quickly paused it and pressed the Menu button. She looked for the date Nathan died. Upon finding it, she pressed "select" and began watching it start from the day before.

She was met with the sight of him cleaning his lab. Soon he left, and the screen went dark. A few moments later, Nathan burst into the lab and started throwing things, destroying all of his work and tearing his research papers as he stormed through it. A quick glance at the time stamp told her that this was late that night. It was eerie to watch Nathan smash the windows on his cabinets and destroy everything in his path in silence. She quickly realized that there was a volume button, and she pressed it multiple times until she could hear the glass shattering. She nearly dropped the remote when she heard Nathan command his communicator to call her, her grip on the remote becoming tight when she heard the automated voice chime "_We're sorry, the line you are trying to contact has been disconnected. Please redial and try again". _

She flinched when he smashed it against the wall and stomped back upstairs. She swallowed nervously when the next image popped back up on the screen; it was the morning Nathan had died. She watched him stumble around in search of something until he opened a bottle and downed a few pills, the shadows under his eyes evident despite the poor quality of the video.

Her heart lurched for a moment, her mind going quickly to the idea that Nathan had overdosed.

Rotti had not told her the specifics and she had not asked him, the pain was too much to bear just knowing that Nathan was gone. Her hands started to tremble as she watched Nathan walk over and grab his Repo uniform and throw it on, grabbing his tools he exited the lab through another secret passage. She stopped breathing for a moment when the screen grew dark again, breaking into full out sobs when she realized that Nathan had probably died in the passageway.

She was about to turn off the television when the screen flickered and she watched several Geneco guards burst into the lab. She dug her fingers into the armrest of her chair as she watched them tear through the lab and disappear into the passageway. The screen went blank again and then the image of herself walking into the lab that day came up, going blank when she removed the video recorder.

Mag stared at the screen for a moment before turning off the television. She was completely numb. She mechanically locked the door behind her as she left and called her driver.

Sliding into the backseat of her limo, she tried to process what she had seen.

The fact that Rotti had sent his men meant that Nathan had not committed suicide. The knowledge that Rotti had him killed shouldn't have surprised her, but she couldn't grasp the reality that he would do that.

Breaking out of her thought pattern, she looked out the window as they pulled onto the grounds. A chill ran up her spine as she realized that she had been gone for hours. She ran into the house and called for Shiloh, only to find a note sitting on the table by the door telling her that Rotti had picked her up to take her to the show.

Cursing, Mag threw on some dry clothes and ran back outside to her driver.

The trip to the opera house seemed to take forever.

oOOo

Shiloh awoke to an empty house and a note from Mag. Ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach, she got dressed and ate some breakfast. She read a book for a while before deciding to take Maestro for a walk. She snapped a leash on Maestro's collar and pulled on a raincoat before she exited the house, the rain was letting up but she didn't want to catch a cold.

They walked the grounds for a while, her personal guard maintaining a distance as they meandered through the garden. Shiloh gave a little laugh when she saw the tree that Mag had got stuck in the night before, reaching out she grabbed one of the branches and looked up. Footsteps came up behind her and she was about to tell her guard to back off when she heard Rotti speak.

"Care to share what amuses you?" He said as she turned around. Shiloh's smile became tight when she looked up at him. The rain had stopped sometime during their walk, so she was unsurprised to see him dressed up in a suit for tonight.

"Just thinking about something Mag did." She replied and she scooped up her puppy, she needed to hold onto something in order to keep from bolting.

Rotti chuckled and reached forward to pet the dog, snatching his hand back when Maestro snapped at his hand. Shiloh gasped and had to hold in a laugh when the puppy growled at him, scolding the puppy when she really wanted to praise him. Rotti glared at the dog; if looks could kill Maestro would be dead and buried.

Turning his gaze to Shiloh he told her that she needed to go get dressed. He wanted to get some interviews taken care of before the concert started and they were going to leave shortly.

"What about Mag? She'll be back soon." She asked as she set the dog on the ground and looked up at him, frowning when he insisted she ride with him. She quickly went back to the house and got ready, leaving Mag a note as she walked out the door and climbed into the limo. It was going to be a long day.

oOOo

The driver pulled the limo behind the theater to allow Mag into her dressing room without having to swim through the sea of reporters and fans. She had seen Shiloh and Rotti speaking with the press as they drove past and wanted to get ready as quickly as possible so she could speak with Shiloh about what she had found. She walked into her dressing room and saw her makeup artist and hairdresser were reading magazines. On seeing her, they quickly dropped them on her vanity and ushered her into the chair.

After the makeup artist had finished, Mag grabbed the magazine. She frowned when she saw her own image on the cover. The hairstylist went to work on her while she read the cover, stopping once she read the title of the main article.

"A Baby on the Way?" blazed across the top of a picture of Shiloh and Mag taken from the True Blood launch party. They were both smiling at the camera and Mag had her hand on her stomach. Mag frantically flipped through the pages until she came to the article, dread filling her as she read it.

Apparently the reporter Rotti had been speaking with that night had heard her excuse and ran with it, including pictures of various publicity appearances from the last week. She swallowed when she realized that she had been feeling nausea for the past two weeks and that she was late. She hadn't thought much about it because of everything that had been going on, she hadn't even had time to call her doctor back. By the time Mag had worked herself into a panic her hair was finished, both the makeup artist and hairstylist left the room to allow her to get changed.

Standing up Mag grabbed her communicator and made a call, praying that her doctor was still at his office. She glanced at the clock and noticed the time, cursing when she realized that the office would be closed. Throwing her communicator across the room felt wonderful, so Mag grabbed some other things from her vanity and threw them as well. She collapsed in hysterical laughter when her hairbrush broke through the plaster and became embedded in the wall. She pulled herself up and walked over to her costume rack, grabbing the red dress she would wear for the first few songs.

It took her a few minutes to pull herself together but when she exited the dressing room she was right on schedule. Looking around for Shiloh she saw her sitting in the front row, at once both glad and upset that she could not speak with her before the show. A screen dropped down and Shiloh's first music video came up, her performance making Mag proud as she watched. Loud applause filled the room as the screen went back up and the announcer spoke for a few moments before starting the show.

oOOo

Shiloh watched the concert, concern filling her when she noticed that while Mag looked and sounded perfect, her heart wasn't really in the performance. After living with her shower performances for that past few months, she could tell.

After a few songs there was a quick intermission so Mag could change. Shiloh had almost made it backstage when Rotti intercepted her. She spent the whole concert wishing she could get back to see Mag, hoping that there was something she could do.

oOOo

Rotti watched the singer and the young girl, he knew something was wrong but couldn't pin it down. By the end of the concert he had decided to keep them separated, ordering his guards to take Shiloh home before she could get to Mag.

Shiloh had fought the guards until one of them had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder, exiting the back of the theater and tossing her in the backseat of the limo, in the process gaining new insight in how Mag had felt when she had been forcibly removed from the hospital that day. Rotti watched the car drive past and went back inside.

oOOo

Rotti walked into Mag's dressing room without knocking to find Mag tripping out of the white dress she had worn in her finale. She looked up, hoping it was Shiloh only to turn red when she saw who it was. She quickly ducked behind her dressing screen to struggle out of her corset, asking Rotti what he wanted while she undid the various straps holding the dress up. Rotti looked around the dressing room before answering her, walking over to pull the brush out of the wall as he did so.

"I wanted to talk to you about your performance tonight. Something seemed.... Off." He said as he sat down on the love seat, turning the brush around in his hands.

Mag mentally groaned as she realized that her shirt was sitting on her vanity stool. Crossing her arms over her bra, she walked around the screen and stood there, trying to look as intimidating as possible topless, wearing jeans and barefoot. She could tell immediately Rotti was staring at her unusual showing of skin. Quickly she grabbed the shirt and pulled it on over her head, trying to suppress the urge to blush furiously.

"I know that Nathan didn't commit suicide." She announced, clenching her hands into fists. The blood drained from Rotti's face as he stood up, anger and determination filled him as he advanced on her. Mag's face was red in pent up anger and she stood her ground, her spine ramrod straight as she glared up at Rotti. "How could you lie to me, and to Shiloh about that?" She demanded. Rotti grabbed her arms, holding her in one place.

"If you knew that Nathan was alive you would have found a way to escape!" He snarled at her. Mag paled at those words, her heart hammering in her chest as she processed what Rotti had said. "It won't matter after tomorrow." He continued, "Once you sign the papers you'll both be mine!" She wrenched herself out of his grip and took a step back, tears filling her eyes as she whispered her next words.

"Nathan's….. a…. alive?"

The love in her voice angered him to point of wanting to choke her. Rotti flew at Mag and shoved her against the wall, and Mag, for the second time in a very short while, saw stars. She must have made some sort of noise of pain, because she heard Rotti curse and loosen his grip a little.

"If you breathe a word of this to Shiloh I swear I will kill him myself." He hissed. Mag looked up at him in horror. He was going to use Nathan to get what he wanted. He grabbed her chin and held her gaze as he stroked her cheek. "I am only doing this because I love you Maggie!"

Mag flinched considerably at the use of Nathan's pet name. This infuriated Rotti even more.

" Nathan couldn't give you half of what I could and he knows that." He screamed. "Shiloh would do better as my child than she would if Nathan still had her. Hell, she would be dead right now if I hadn't cured her! In time you'll see that what I have done is for the best."

He leaned in forward a little and kissed her cheek. "And remember my dear, if you tell Shiloh a word of this, I swear Nathan will never see the sun rise again. You will have only yourself to blame." With that he released her, turning his head to follow her as she ran out the door.

Author Note: WOW. I can't believe I just wrote that! AHH!

I feel I must give mondo credit to my beta Tawnyleaf for giving me the idea of Rotti using Nathan against Mag to get what he wanted. THANKS TAWNYLEAF!

Also, I keep forgetting to tell you all what songs I used when I wrote the chapters!

For Chapter 4 (Shiloh and Mag's first duet XD) I chose Angels by Within Temptation

For Chapter 5 (Shiloh's Piano Solo) I chose My Immortal by Evanescence

For Chapter 6 (The song Shiloh sings for Nathan) I chose Memories by Within Temptation.

For Chapter 7, The music video is Going Under, by Evanescence, I recommend looking it up! Its Awesome! The song Shiloh sang at the fair was Stand My Ground by Within Temptation. Mag's concert and wardrobe was modeled after Sarah Brightman's Live in Vienna DVD and clips I've seen on Youtube from her Symphony concert. (with the exception of the big poofy dress with the boots that lace up, that one is one dress I wish had never come into existence)

Viva La Red Dress!

Thanks Again!

Emengee


	8. Chapter 8

Aching Hour

Shiloh struggled against the guard who had thrown her over his shoulder, beating her fists upon his back as he struggled to get her to the car.

"Put me down!" She yelled as she started kicking out, hoping that she would connect with something. She looked up, hoping to see someone who could help her. Instead, her eyes connected with Rotti's, who was standing at the door, watching her be pushed into the limo with an unreadable expression on his face. She slid across the leather seat and hit another guard inside. She lay there stunned for a moment as the first guard climbed in and slammed the door behind him. This left her sandwiched between one of Rotti's henchgirls and the guard who had grabbed her. She sat up when the world stopped spinning, and looked out the back window and watched Rotti walk back inside.

She had a newfound sympathy for the feelings Mag had when she had been taken from the hospital.

Flustered, embarrassed, and angry, she turned around and sat back. Looking at the two guards sitting next to her, she demanded they tell her what was going on. She glared at their stony faces and fought the urge to kick and scream like a little child when they continued to be silent. She knew Rotti had probably ordered them to not say a thing. Shiloh contemplated yelling again, but the limo crunched down the gravel path that lead to the Largo Estate and she knew that the car was almost back to the house.

Once the car stopped, the henchgirl grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car, ignoring her protests and waiting until another guard had come to her other side. Once they had escorted her into the cottage, they let her go, locking the door behind her and situating themselves in front of the door. Shaking her head she stomped into the living room to wait for Mag, hoping the singer would be home soon and they could talk about what was going on.

Maestro jumped up next to her, and she absentmindedly patted his head. She cast about for something to do, and finally, her eyes found the afternoon paper, still in its rubber band. Mag had probably tossed it on the table when she came home from the graveyard. Rolling the band off, she set it on the table and unfolded the paper, nearly dropping it when she saw the headlines.

The faces staring up at her had terrorized her dreams the night before. Now they were dead. There was no doubt in Shiloh's mind that Rotti had something to do with their murders, though the article speculated it was an insane stalker. She had known that Rotti disinherited them, but couldn't believe he would go this far. It soon dawned on her that he was clearly quite insane. She placed the paper down on the table and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, feeling mixed emotions. On one hand, she was upset because of what Rotti had done, but a small part of her couldn't help be relieved that three people who wanted to hurt her were now incapable.

Shame filled her at her last thought. Her father had raised her to not think ill of the dead. Walking back to the living room she set her glass down and curled up on the couch, Mag would be home soon and then things would be better.

oOOo

Mag ran from the opera house as quick as she could, paying no attention to the fact that she was barefoot and wearing clothes that were too thin for the large rainstorm that was starting. Lightning flashed across the purple sky as she dashed down the street, her legs carrying her towards the first place she could think of. Her jeans soon became sodden and heavy, and her feet stung with the impact on the pavement. She fell once or twice, bruising her arms and scratching her palms, but the pain never registered, all that mattered was getting away from Rotti. Finally she settled on a location, somewhere Rotti would never look.

The graveyard looked sinister in the storm; the lightning flashes threw shadows everywhere and made it hard for Mag to tell what was real and what was not. She ducked behind a headstone and tried to catch her breath through her tears. Nathan was alive and there was nothing she could do for him.

She sat there for what seemed like an eternity. She couldn't tell if it was minutes or hours that she cried, her tears mixing with the torrential rain and chilling her to the bone. Soon the rain let up a little, becoming a small drizzle instead of the flood of water it had been before. Her outpouring left her exhausted, miserable, and toying with the idea of just laying there until she died. Suddenly a thought of Marni crossed her mind, and she almost jerked back to reality. Shiloh was still here, and she couldn't leave her alone.

Mag's tears were spent. She was about to stand when she saw a dark shadow working over a grave. They pushed back a heavy slab of marble covering a grave, whistling the tune to one of her songs as they worked. One flash of lightening later and she could tell that it was most definitely a man.

She shrank back against the headstone and watched him pull a body out of the tomb, gasping into her hand as he threw it to the ground. She had heard of Graverobbers and there was little doubt in her mind as to what this man was. She watched him unroll a leather pack and pull out a large needle, not so gently ramming it into the brain of the corpse.

The Graverobber looked up at her as he extracted the Zydrate, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smirk as he took her in. Wide eyed and looking like a drowned kitten Mag watched as he finished the job, dumping the body back into the crypt and closing it before turning to her and offering her a hand. Mag pushed herself back against the headstone and looked up at him, horrified at what she had just seen. He looked down at her and lowered his hand, his smile fading when the sirens sounded as the guard saw him. Spotlights illuminated the darkness, searching for anyone inside. Mag cursed when the guards started the search. She knew that she would not be recognized and would probably be killed; after all, what opera singer ever looked as bedraggled and forlorn as she did now?

A burst of lightning flashed through the sky and illuminated their surroundings, showing Mag that she was not far from Marni's grave. Grabbing the Graverobber's hand she pulled him into her friends tomb, slamming the door behind her and ducking down when a guard passed by.

The Graverobber looked at her, shock and surprise registered on his face as he realized exactly who had just saved his life. He nodded his thanks and looked around the tomb.

"And what could the voice of Geneco be doing in the graveyard on a night like this? It's not exactly great weather to be mourning your dead." He asked, jerking his head toward the picture of Marni above the crypt. A smirk was fixed on his face, but it seemed to falter just a little when she began to cry again. Unable to help it, the entire story poured out. She tried to reason that if she was going to die, at least she would die with someone knowing the truth.

Shaking his head the Graverobber stood and gazed out the window. If she had been a little less observant, she would have guessed that he sympathized. The lack of lights shining outside proved that the seach was over. The Graverobber looked down at Mag and offered her some advice.

"Tell the kid the truth."

Mag nodded through her tears and thanked him for listening. The sirens died down not too long after that and he slipped out, bowing to Mag as he disappeared into the night.

Rather than risk being caught by the guards, Mag decided to go through the tunnel and exit through Nathan's house. After studying the wall for a few moments she was able to open the door and pass through, rushing to Nate's house as quickly as she could. She didn't want to leave Shiloh alone for too long.

Mag managed to call her driver from the communicator she found in the ruins of Nathan's lab, glad that she had remembered where he had thrown it. After a long drive she was able to step into her own house and lock the door behind her, trying to be quiet once she saw Shiloh had fallen asleep on the couch. She reached down and grabbed the newspaper and water, walking into the kitchen to put them away.

She was about to throw the paper in the recycling bin when she saw the headlines. She sat down at the table in a daze, looking off into the distance when she thought of the Largo children. She knew that they had attacked Shiloh the night before and she couldn't help but hate them for what they had tried to do. Fuming Mag walked quietly down the hall and into her bedroom, grabbing a nightgown from her dresser as she entered her bathroom. She would speak with Shiloh after she had cleaned up. She looked in her mirror, caught of guard by how haggard she looked.

Streaks of mud and makeup were tracked down her face. Her palms were bloody and she had various bruises from when she had fallen. Her hair was wet and stringy, and wet it almost reached her waist. Her clothes were sodden and damaged, and she was embarrassed when she saw that her shirt was practically ripped down the middle, exposing more flesh than any dress Rotti had ever forced her to wear. The events that had befallen her only a few hours ago had made her virtually unrecognizable, and she realized that she would have indeed been killed because no one would know who she was.

She stripped off her muddy clothes and turned on the shower. Once the water was warm, she allowed herself to cry yet again over the events of the day. She knew couldn't lie to Shiloh, even for a little while. Her thoughts became jumbled as she tried to process everything. Finally it was too much, and she just sat under the spray , knees to her chest, sobbing as hard as she could. Some part of her mind acknowledged ruefully that she had been crying quite a lot that day.

She remembered the newspaper article that detailed the death of the three youngest Largos, and she cried for them. She cried about Shiloh and the fact that Nathan was alive. She cried about her own fate. She cried about Marni, and she even cried about the poor person whose corpse the Graverobber had harvested the zydrate from.

Finally, the tears stopped, and she was able to stand. She washed her hair, and mumbled her thoughts aloud to herself, as if it would help her to understand exactly what was happening.

"I can't believe Nathan is alive! Nathan…… How could Rotti do this to me, to us?" She rinsed her face.

"How does he expect me to keep this from Shiloh?" She whispered, despair turning her thoughts even darker. Soon, her mind wandered to Rotti's children, internally commenting on each one. Of all three children, it was Amber in particular she felt for.

"I never really cared for her," She gasped as the water suddenly turned cold, " but even she didn't deserve that."

A wave of dizziness overcame her, and Mag realized exactly how exhausted she was. She braced herself against the tile, hoping that she wouldn't fall. '_I hope we can get through this.' _She thought silently as she finished her shower. Turning off the water she climbed out and dried off, feeling wooden and empty. She jumped when she heard the slamming of Shiloh's bedroom door.

She decided not to press her now, opting instead to ask her after she was dressed. She sat at her mirror and twisted her hair into one long braid, deciding that the stylist wouldn't want to deal with her curls the next morning. She pulled on her most comfortable pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Suitably dressed, she walked down the hall and knocked gently on Shiloh's door. She was genuinely surprised when Shiloh screamed "Go away!". She took a step backwards and noticed the puppy sitting on the floor looking up at her.

If she didn't know any better she would have sworn the puppy was glaring at her.

oOOo

Shiloh awoke to the sound of Mag's shower starting. She looked at the clock and sighed when she realized that it was already 1:00 A.M. Getting up she made her way down the hall. She knocked on Mag's bedroom door and it swung open, allowing her to enter.

She was about to knock on the bathroom door to see if Mag was okay when she heard Mag crying. Shiloh had heard Mag cry before, but nothing like this. Mag was sobbing without letup, as if it was the only thing she could do. Shiloh was about to turn and leave when she heard Mag start talking to herself. Unable to make out the words she pressed herself closer to the door and bit her lip, feeling guilty for eavesdropping but unable to stop herself from trying to find out what was wrong with her godmother. She tried to follow what Mag was saying, but nothing was making sense at all. Tears stung her own eyes while she listened; something truly awful must have happened to Mag to make her like this. She heard Mag ask how Rotti could do something to them, and this grabbed her attention. But, the rest was too garbled for her to catch. She listened for a few more moments, and was about to get up when Mag's next words stabbed Shiloh in the heart.

""How does he expect me to keep this from Shiloh?" A pause, then: "I never really cared for her, but even she didn't deserve that."

Tears of anger and humiliation filled her eyes. Unable to stay any longer she ran into her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

oOOo

Mag stood at the door and stared at it for a few moments, unable to understand what had just happened. Shiloh was obviously upset, but she had never behaved like this. Unable to account for it she chalked it up to the newspaper or something Rotti had said, her eyes flashing as she became even more upset. "Shiloh, please tell me what's wrong." She begged, leaning against the door and straining to hear her.

Shiloh was curled up on her bed hugging her pillow, hiccupping sobs escaped as she clung to her pillow. "Please, just go away." She called, her throat becoming sore as she tried to calm herself.

Shiloh knew it had been too good to be true. Mag had played her and she had fallen for it. This had probably started as some horrific plot to hurt her father instigated by Rotti, making him fall for Mag and then taking away everything he had. Mag called out to her again but Shiloh couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing her songbook she screamed and threw it at the door, satisfied when she heard Mag walk down the hall and into her own room.

oOOo

Mag tossed and turned for most of the night, her heart heavy as she tried to understand what could have happened to Shiloh to make her so upset. When the clock chimed seven in the morning she was unable to stay in bed any longer, her nerves were to raw to even try to sleep any longer. Besides, her doctor should be at his office soon and she desperately needed answers. She stood and dressed, grabbing a dark hooded dress and pulling her hair half back. After she had called her driver she stood at Shiloh's door for a while and noticed that Maestro was nowhere to be found. Trying the door, she found it unlocked. She looked in and saw Shiloh curled up in the fetal position and holding her father's picture, still dressed in the clothing she had worn to the opera. Frowning, she quickly tucked Shiloh in, checking her temperature and supplying her with tissues and a glass of water before quietly closing the door behind her. She wrote a note to Shiloh and taped it to her door, hoping that when she got back Shiloh would speak with her.

Mag stared out the window as they drove into the city, not really seeing anything as they passed the streets she had come to know so well. Once the car stopped she climbed out and walked into the receptionist area of her doctor's office, glad that she had gotten there just as it opened. She was greeted and given a magazine to pass the time while she waited for the doctor, but she became unhappy when she saw it was the same one from last night. Once the Gentern had lead her back to the exam room Mag became nervous. She wasn't prepared for this. But, she had to know.

Her stomach clenched when she thought of Shiloh sitting at home and immediately made a decision. They would find out together.

The doctor opened the door and smiled at her, exchanging pleasantries before getting down to the heart of the matter. Mag explained her concerns and interrupted him before he could say anything.

"Is there any way I can have the test results? I want my goddaughter to be with me when I find out..."

The doctor smiled and nodded, slipping the papers into an envelope. Not giving away anything before he sent her on her way. "Call me if you have any questions. Oh, and by the way, congratulations on the marriage." He said as he closed the door behind her, missing the shiver that went through her body at the mention of her impending doom.

Back in the limo, she looked at the envelope in her lap. That envelope held her future.

oOOo

Shiloh woke up when Mag had come into her room and pretended to be asleep; she couldn't face her knowing that Mag didn't really care about her.

She was surprised when Mag checked her over before tucking her under her bedspread, and even more so when Mag leaned down and whispered "I'll be back sweetie." before closing the door behind her. Once she was sure that Mag was gone Shiloh climbed out of bed and opened her bedroom door, seeing a note attached to it.

_Shiloh,_

_I don't know what is upsetting you right now, but when I get back we need to talk._

Shiloh crumpled the note in her hand, not knowing what to feel. Soon she got tired of trying to puzzle out the problem and walked into the kitchen to eat something and wait for Mag. She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep her feelings inside once the singer was home. There was something about Mag that made her feel safer. She guessed that was the whole godmother/goddaughter bond.

She was in the middle of eating a bowl of cereal when there was a knock on the door. She knew that it wouldn't be Mag because she had no need to knock. She sighed and opened the door, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Rotti standing there, a smile on his face and a small flower in his hand.

He held it out to her as he entered the home. But seeing the state Shiloh was in he couldn't contain his cutiosity.

"Is everything alright my dear?" He asked as he sat down on the love seat, watching her every move as she walked into the living room. She was surprised at the fact her had tried to be sincere. Suddenly feeling grimy in yesterdays clothing she told him she was fine, hinting that Mag would be back soon and he should leave before she got home.

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." She said in a monotone, closing her eyes as and allowing the image of the wedding dress Mag was going to wear fill her mind.

"Shiloh, did something happen last night? I mean, besides my guards escorting you home. You seem unwell." Rotti said as he stood up, taking her hands in his as he looked at her eyes.

She was again surprised to hear him sound genuinely worried, and she shifted her body away, touching the monster was more than she could handle right now. He allowed her to take a seat on the chair opposite the couch and dropped down so he was facing her.

He knew he didn't have much time left to live, his doctor had told him he probably had days, rather than the months he had expected, and he wanted Shiloh to have at least one or two good memories of him before he died. He realized exactly what his thoughts had been and thought ruefully that he must be getting soft in his old age. He decided to make small talk with the girl before he got down to business. Soon though, his patience ran out and he got frustrated at her evading his questions.

Rotti made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded like a humph.

"You'll need to start getting ready soon if you're going to be at the house before noon. The stylists have explicit instructions to have you perfect. I don't think I need to tell you that your dresses are waiting for you there, so no excuses about Mag forgetting your outfits again." He paused, hoping that the girl would brighten just a little at his frail attempt at a joke. She didn't and he continued. "I also made a little change in the venue. The lobby of the tower wasn't big enough for all the media personnel to fit in, so the ceremony will be happening outside in the garden during sunset. The lighting will be the best at that time."

Shiloh said nothing, and Rotti began to feel foolish. He looked at her one more time and got up, awkwardly saying that he knew she would look beautiful in her dress. He then left, feeling more uncomfortable than he ever had before in his life.

Shiloh closed the door behind him and walked back into her bedroom, looking around helplessly. It was hard not to see how loved it looked, even after a short time. Everything in it was something she had already owned or something Mag had picked out for her. Her heart clenched and she felt even worse than before.

She heard another car pulling up in front of the house and panicked. Unable to face Mag just yet Shiloh dashed into her bathroom and started the shower, praying that she would have the courage to confront Mag once she was clean. She didn't sing at all, she just didn't have the heart.

oOOo

Mag walked through the door and heard the shower running down the hall, glad that she had a moment to get her bearings before she had to face Shiloh. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, even though she wished for a stronger drink, preferably something like Nathan had served her what seemed like so long ago, but Rotti had strict rules about alcohol and the detriment it could do to her voice, so she owned none.

Unable to take a risk on her unknown condition she drank the whole glass before returning to the living room. She set the envelope down carefully on the table, the medical symbol facing up. Her whole life would change drastically once she and Shiloh opened it, a deep fear rose in her as she waited.

What would happen if she was pregnant? Would Rotti force her to terminate it once he found out? He obviously didn't have a problem killing his own children, and it horrified her to think of what he would do to it and her once he found out it was Nathan's, because it obviously wasn't his. If she was pregnant, she couldn't let anything happen to Nathan's baby. Her baby. Shiloh's sibling. She just couldn't!

Tears rushed to her eyes as a full blown panic attack started. She couldn't handle what was happening, the colors and shapes were just too much, and they seemed to get brighter and brighter. She couldn't breathe, and amidst the chaos, brightest of all, was the glaringly red symbol on a large white envelope. Sensory overload. It happened a lot when she had just gotten her eyes, and now it was happening again because she was too stressed to process everything correctly. She pressed her hands to her eyes, trying to block out the sights, but that accomplished practically nothing, the damaged had already been done.

That was how Shiloh found her a few moments later: terrorized and shaking, with her arms wrapped around her legs and her face buried in her knees.

"Mag?" Shiloh asked tentatively, as she approached, her eyes immediately going to the white envelope on the table in front of her godmother, the red medical symbol facing her. "Is everything okay?"

Mag's terror filled eyes snapped up, all reason fleeing as she shot up and wrapped her arms around Shiloh. "I don't know what to do..." She whispered, dangerously close to tears.

Out of complete instinct, Shiloh pushed Mag away. But, she immediately regretted this when she saw the confused, hurt look on Mag's face. Shiloh steeled herself for what she was about to say, Mag was hurting and scared (there was no doubt about that), but she had to tell Mag she knew the truth.

"Mag, I heard what you said last night. Why did you lie to me?" Mag blinked and the whole world sharpened for a moment as she tried to understand what Shiloh had just said. Panic filled her when she saw the look on Shiloh's face. It was the same look she had on her face after Rotti had announced that her father was dead. When Mag didn't answer right away, Shiloh stepped back as if to leave the room. She felt something inside her break, and made a move to leave the room. Mag, seeing what she was going to do, pushed back her fear and hurt and grabbed her hand. Shiloh mattered more than she did right now.

"I wanted to tell you last night but you were just so angry and I couldn't get it out and I'm so sorry." Mag said in a rush as she pulled Shiloh down beside her on the couch. "I have to tell you something and I don't want you to say anything until I finish." Shiloh opened her mouth as if to protest, but thought better of it and nodded.

"You're father is alive."

Shiloh felt the world tilt a little. Pain coursed through her as she listened to Mag tell the story about what had happened over the past two days, of finding Nathan's lab, the video, and then Rotti letting the truth slip. Once she had finished telling Shiloh about her discovery she took a deep breath.

'_Do it now Maggie! Quick, before you lose your nerve.'_ She told herself. '_Just like ripping off a bandage.'_

"Shiloh, back at the hospital…… Your father and I….. Well, we slept together."

She winced at the shock on Shiloh's face, and the fear came back full force. "I thought things would be different, I swear." She could tell by the look Shiloh was giving her that she had already lost her. Nothing she could say would make any difference now.

"I'm sorry Shiloh, I should have told you sooner, but there is a good chance I might be pregnant." She whispered, a little line appearing on her forehead as she bit her lip with worry.

Shiloh sat there stunned for a few moments, trying to process what Mag had told her. She pulled her hands out of Mag's and stood up to go into her bedroom.

Mag watched unhappily as Shiloh left, fighting tears when she realized just how much she had hurt the girl. Burying her face in her hands Mag let loose all the sorrow she was feeling, almost laughing in despair when she thought of how she would look in her wedding dress.

She sat there for a few minutes before standing up. She walked to the bathroom, to wash her face. She turned on the water, but instead looked herself in the eyes. The eyes that had gotten everyone in this mess in the first place. She hated herself.

Mag clenched her fist as she made herself a promise. No matter what happened today she would never let Rotti hurt her, Shiloh, or Nathan ever again. She finished washing her face and walked out of the bathroom. She walked into the kitchen to look for the chocolate bar she always kept hidden in the back (kept safe for when she needed comfort food the most), but immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw Shiloh standing in the living room with the envelope in her hands. Shiloh had hear her coming closer, and turned around to look at her, handing the envelope to Mag.

"I realized that I'm not the only one who will suffer here. Now there may be another person involved and I think it's time to find out." She said, voice monotone.

Mag felt tears pool in her eyes when she realized Shiloh wasn't going to be forgiving her anytime soon, and the news in here might make matters all the worse. She ran her finger under the flap, pulling out the paperwork and studying it for a moment, her heart skipping a beat.

After reading it Shiloh lost control and tears poured down her face. She dropped the papers where she stood and ran into her bedroom and locked the door behind her. Mag watched her go and walked down the hall to her own bedroom, leaving the results scattered all over the living room floor. She dropped down on her bed, staring into space as if it somehow held the answers. Hours passed this way. It seemed like too soon the clock struck 12:00 and she had to leave.

Mag knocked on Shiloh's door and waited until Shiloh opened it.

"It's time to go. If we don't leave soon Rotti will come looking."

Shiloh shook her head. "I'm not going. I can't do this."

Mag didn't say anything more, and Shiloh closed the door softly .Turning away Mag left the house and walked up to the manor alone. She had no one to blame for this but herself. Once she was inside the house she was swept up into a bedroom to get ready, retreating into herself and letting her mind go blank. She couldn't feel anything at all.

oOOo

Shiloh waited until Mag had left before getting dressed and leaving. She couldn't stay in the house any longer and wanted to be as far away as possible when Mag took her vows.

Because of the big ceremony Shiloh was able to slip out the gates unnoticed, catching a ride with the local body pickup at the bottom of the hill. She stood on the back of the vehicle and chewed her lip, trying hard not to think of what Rotti must have done to her father. As they passed the familiar streets she grew more and more angry and determined to get her dad away from him. Once the truck had ambled through the gates of the cemetery Shiloh hopped off and walked up the steps to her mother's tomb. Once she had the door open she dropped down and looked up at the ceiling. She was so absorbed by her pain she didn't see the man sitting in the shadows next to the door.

"Well isn't this a busy little spot today?" He said as he leaned forward, the muted light coming through the bars on the door illuminating his features. Shiloh sat up and gasped, scrambling backwards until she hit her mother's mural.

"I...What.... How did you get in here?" She managed to get out, knowing from her frequent trips while she was sick that this was the local Graverobber. He smirked and gave her a sarcastic answer.

"Through the front door of course."

Shiloh was about to throw a fit and get him to leave when she heard a car pull in front of the mausoleum. She hurried and threw herself into the shadows as Rotti climbed the steps.

Rotti's voice filled the tiny room and Shiloh was able to see just how insane Rotti had become.

"Marni, you never should have left me! I would have given you the world! It's been difficult to see you after what you put me through. You caused all of this! Marni, you forced my hand and made me do.... well, it looks like I'll be joining you soon. It seems the man who cured the globe cannot stop his own extinction. But my dear, I can go out with a Bang!"

He tapped his cane against the door and laughed before continuing. "It's taken me years to move on, it took a large amount of blackmail to get her to agree to it but after today your best friend will be my wife. I don't regret using Nathan and Shiloh to get what I wanted from her, but I do regret that after the ceremony I'm going to go to the tower and kill your husband. You did love him. But don't worry my dear; Shiloh will be provided for as if she were my own, because in reality, she should've been. Rest assured dear Marni, after today I will have my vengeance and you can finally rest in peace."

He laughed again and walked back down to get into the car, leaving Shiloh in turmoil.

Mag had not lied to her, that much she was certain of. Blood pounded in her ears as she stood up. Somehow she had to get her father to safety.

The Graverobber smiled up at her and gave a little wave as she left, knowing something was going down but unable to offer his help. He had his own skin to look after.

Shiloh ran through the streets, ignoring the stitch in her side in her rush to get to the tower. She had no plan whatsoever how she was going to get her dad out, but she had to try.

oOOo

Rotti sat in his limo and thought over his victories, in a few short hours Mag would be his wife, Shiloh would legally be his child, and Nathan would be dead. He was just thinking nothing could go wrong when his communicator blared to life; the frantic voice of the wedding planner filled the cab.

"Shiloh isn't coming to the wedding! She's still at the cottage and Mag told us not to disturb her!"

Rotti made a growling noise before telling the woman that he would take care of it. A scowl firmly set itself on his face as he climbed out of the car in front of the little home. He slammed the door open and yelled for Shiloh at the top of his lungs, ignoring the barking puppy as he stormed through the house.

Once he reached the living room he noticed official-looking papers scattered all over the floor. He frowned and gathered them up, anger ripping through him as he read what was written. Slamming the papers down on the table Rotti walked out of the house, getting into his limo and ordering the driver to get to the main house.

This was not what he was expecting.

Author Note:

Oohhhh, I love writing this story! Is Mag pregnant, or is there something seriously wrong with her? What is Rotti going to do? How is Shiloh going to get Nathan out of the tower? I can't wait to find out myself!

Thanks again for the reviews and a Major thanks to my Beta Tawnyleaf!

Emengee


	9. Chapter 9

I made a trailer for the story!

Please check out my profile to see the link!

Thanks again for all the reviews! The next chapter was written buy both me and my Beta Tawnyleaf!

Thanks Again!

Crucifixus

Mag stood at the window after the wedding planner left, attired in the dress that had haunted her dreams for days. Through the door she could hear the flunky frantically call Rotti, but somehow she couldn't summon the energy to care. She placed her hand on the windowpane and looked out over the garden, watching the men set up chairs and place lilies everywhere. She hated lilies. Her favorite flowers were roses, especially red and white ones. Her mind wandered for a moment, and she absently watched as the caterers started to set up, trying not to gag when the waiters set out seafood. She hated fish. Rotti had set everything up and hadn't asked for her input at all. How could she go through with this wedding when the man she was marrying didn't know a thing about her? She then realized how ridiculous the question had been. She hadn't had a choice, and she still didn't. If she had been given a choice she wouldn't marry Rotti if he were the last man on earth, not after what he had done to her and her loved ones.

She turned away from the window and looked down at her dress again. She remembered how painstakingly she had sewn the jewels on the bodice and how long it took her to make the ruffles fall just right. The jewels twinkling in the light now seemed to mock her, and the very fabric of the dress began to feel scratchy and uncomfortable. It was ironic; this dress had started out its life as a bridesmaid's dress for Marni's wedding, and now she was going to wear it to be married to the man Marni ran away from.

Frustrated with herself she stormed into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. The makeup artist had done his best to hide the shadows under her eyes, the pallor of her skin, and the bruises that she had somehow managed to pick up from her "adventure" yesterday. Mag rubbed her hands together before quickly stopping; she had momentarily forgotten about the scrapes that adorned her palms. She winced at the fresh pain from the scratches, somewhat glad to be feeling something besides the numbness that seemed to have settled over her body.

She ran a hand over her still-flat stomach and Mag wondered what she would look like when she was farther along. That was, of course, if Rotti would even allow her to carry the child to term. No. She had let him take Marni, Nathan, and Shiloh from her. She would not let him take her baby as well. Rotti had taken Marni from Nathan too, and there was no way that she was going to give up his child without a fight. She forced her train of thought to something happier.

A memory crossed her mind of a very pregnant Marni calling her at four in the morning and demanding she get over there so they could eat ice cream and French fries.

'_I think I could get used to this Mag. I woke up and wanted fries and chocolate ice cream. Nathan literally is running to the all-night grocery store to get me some.' _

Marni had laughed over the phone and then gone to explain how she had practically forced Nathan out of the house and threatened to leave him out there until he got what she wanted, and thinking of it now brought a faint smile to Mag's face.

Somehow, thinking of Marni pregnant made her She would do everything in her power to make sure this baby had a happy and healthy life. Nothing was going to separate her and this little unknown. Her little unknown. She would have to start thinking of names for her little one soon.

Turning around Mag spotted the clothing she had been wearing before she had been attacked by the hair stylist and makeup artist and made a very quick decision. She looked at her reflection one last time and decided this was exactly how she didn't want to be married. She took hold of the fabric gently and began slipping out of it carefully so as to not rip the cloth. She spread it out over the bed and grabbed her clothes. She tugged on her jeans and pulled her shirt over her head, thankful she had managed to talk the hairstylist out of an elaborate style and into braiding several strands with white ribbon and leaving the rest down. It certainly would make a statement he had said, her dark hair down her back with the white dress she was wearing….

Suddenly she didn't care anymore, and she pulled the ribbons out. It made sneaking away from the manor a lot easier than if she had a veil pinned to her head. She left the room and started walking towards the stairs, panic setting in when she realized that someone was coming. She ducked into an open doorway and waited for the heavy footfalls to fade away before making a break for it, running down the stairs and dodging out a side door. The media was all around front and looking for any glimpse of someone formally dressed. They would never notice her.

As soon as she thought it was safe, she bolted. She ran as fast as she could push herself. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a car moving along the road beside her. She dashed all the faster, making it to the bushes outside her cottage before the occupants in the car would notice her. The car door opened slowly, and to her shock she saw Rotti storm from the vehicle, she had expected him to send one of his lackeys. Her heart stopped when she realized that she hadn't hidden away her test results. Shiloh was still in that house and he would most likely take his anger out on her. Should she sacrifice herself for her goddaughter? She decided to wait a few more moments. Maybe Shiloh had heard the car coming and left the house.

When Rotti burst out of the house and climbed back into the limo Mag first sighed in relief, then she panicked. Shiloh wasn't with him and all sorts of images of her goddaughter hurt somewhere were flashing through her brain. When the car rolled past her Mag ran as fast as she could to her house, not bothering to close the door behind her as she called and searched for Shiloh. As she ran through the living room she noticed that several of the papers had been thrown on the coffee table, and Mag was certain that whatever suspicions he may have had before were confirmed. Her fear doubled when she realized that the paper on top of the stack was the very one explaining prenatal care.

Once she had established that Shiloh wasn't in the house Mag started to ransack her room, searching for a clue as to where she had gone. She was so absorbed in her search that she didn't hear another car drive up to the door, but she did hear the door slam. She ducked into Shiloh's closet, praying that she wasn't going to be discovered. No luck, the closet was the first place they looked. She tried to push her way through them, but it was useless. Finally she gave up and let herself be dragged to the waiting car. It was absolutely pointless now. Despair filled her and she debated crying, but knew that nothing would help her now. As the car drew closer to the main house, dread replaced the despair. She was pregnant, alone, and the life of the man she loved could literally be ended with the flick of a finger if she didn't comply with everything Rotti wanted her too. What would he do? And more importantly, what could she do?

oOOo

Shiloh ducked into the lobby of the tower and hid behind the couches that were situated around the entrance. She kept her eyes open for any guards that may still be in the building. Security would probably be tight and she couldn't afford to fail.

Above the empty receptionist's desk the wall display was showing an interview with Rotti from this morning. Shiloh watched him talk about the death of his children and observed his behavior, the tears seemed real. Either he was a very skilled actor, or on some level he really missed them. Shiloh was pretty sure that it was the first option.

Rotti stated that while he was mourning their deaths, he was not going to give the stalker the opportunity to ruin what should be the happiest day of his and Mag's life. Shiloh shuddered as she watched the interview playing before moving along the back of the couches.

She was almost to the elevator when she heard someone approaching. Ducking behind a tree in the corner, she watched as two guards patrolled the level. She berated herself on being so careless, one sighting and she would be dragged to the wedding. When the elevator door opened, she was glad that Rotti had insisted on a tour of the tower a few weeks ago. Thanks to his insistence she knew her father was probably being held in the labs below the ground floor. She had been given access to the lower labs during that time, the doctor that had found her cure had wanted to run a series of checkups to see how her body was handling the treatment.

She quickly climbed into the elevator and pushed the button to go down to the labs, praying that her clearance still worked. Shiloh held her breath as she waited for the elevator to start moving, letting it out with relief when she felt the jolt that signaled the decent.

Once the elevator stopped Shiloh waited until the door opened and quickly stepped out into the hall. There was no cover here and she was nervous. She couldn't get caught when she was so close.

She looked through the little glass window in the door to the lab. Once the doctor's back was turned she quietly pushed the door open and ducked behind the steel exam table, glad for once that she was so short. From her vantage point Shiloh could clearly see the doctor, but if he turned around he would not see her. She watched the doctor for a moment and nearly cried out when he took a step to the right, the monitor he had been watching her father pacing around like a cell like a caged animal. Tears filled her eyes as she watched him, knowing he was alive and seeing him walking around were two very different things.

She was unsure as to where the video feed was coming from. It could literally be anywhere in the city and she didn't have much time before Rotti would kill him. She debated with herself for a moment before deciding to take on the doctor. It was a huge risk and she knew it. She was just about to throw herself into the doctor when the door slammed open behind her. Shrinking down she watched one of the guards come in carrying a stun wand. Shiloh clearly saw the guard look at his watch and grimace.

"I can't follow the boss's orders about this guy today. My wife's sister planned this whole family reunion crap and if I'm late I'm not gonna be getting any for the next year. Ya know what I mean? Besides, it's the boss's wedding, and I doubt he'll care if I don't do it today. Hey doc, do you think you could send him a video feed from a few days ago? I doubt he'll notice the difference." The guard announced.

She watched the doctor nod. "Yeah, I will. I have to be somewhere today too. The boss called a few minutes ago and said something about getting a hospital room for his wife. Apparently she's going to be having some sort of surgery later this week and the boss wants to make sure it's all hush-hush."

"Thanks doc, I owe ya one." The guard said, clapping the doctor on the back and slipping a few credits on to the table.

She watched him disappear down a flight of stairs, for a moment forgetting to pay attention. She was very puzzled by the doctor's comment about Mag. She was almost sure that Mag wouldn't accept any kind of surgery from Rotti again. Suddenly she realized that this was not the time or place to think about this and she looked back at the screen. Anger bit into her as she watched the man enter her father's cell, thinking that maybe he had changed his mind about what he had said before. But, all the guard did was nudge her father in the foot.

"Hey, Repo guy. The boss wants you to know that you're getting a glass of champagne courtesy of his wedding today. It will come with your dinner, though I don't know why."

Shiloh felt her stomach clench when she heard the guard mention the wedding, and she felt guilty again at leaving Mag to face it by herself. She continued watching the screen until the guard walked out and the only picture was of her dad. Shiloh stood up and was about to do something, to get the doctor's attention when she saw the chart that he had left behind sitting on the table. She quickly grabbed it smacked the doctor as hard as she could, succeeding only in stunning him for a moment.

He spun around and saw who she was, grabbing her wrists as she swung at him again. "Stop fighting me!" He yelled as she shoved him, using her momentum to spun them both around so she was up against the counter. "I'm trying to help him get out!"

Shiloh stopped struggling for a moment, and the doctor let her arms go. "I've been looking for a way to get him out of here for weeks Miss Wallace, you have to believe me." The doctor said, hanging his head and covering his face with his hands.

Shiloh looked over her shoulder at the monitor at how forlorn her father seemed and decided to trust the man. "Where are your keys?"

The doctor seemed relived for a moment, then slipped a keyring out of his pocket and pressed them into her hands. "The one with the number 312 is the one to your father's cell. I'll cut the video feed."

Shiloh looked at him for a moment more before she moved away. "Thank you doctor."

The man looked at her with a sad expression in his eyes. "I took an oath to do no harm. I intend to keep it."

Shiloh quickly rushed to the door and unlocked it. She swung it open, but was met by a fi hard knock to the back of her head and she fell forward. She cried out, obviously her father hadn't believed the guard who had just left. He picked her up by her shoulders and prepared to hit her again.

"Daddy! Daddy it's me Shiloh!"

"Shiloh?" Her father sounded disbelieving, but he took another look at her face.

"Daddy, it's really me." She said breathlessly, beginning to cry when he hugged her. "Rotti told us you were dead."

"It's okay Shiloh. Everything is going to be okay now." He whispered, his heart breaking when he felt her sobbing into his shoulder.

"Daddy, I didn't know! I should never have believed him!"

Obviously she wasn't going to believe that he could never be mad with her. Nathan felt tears in his eyes as he held his girl close to him. Memories of her smiling face had kept him going throughout the torture sessions and he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. He had honestly thought that he was never going to see her again. He had thought that Rotti would kill him while telling him about what he had done to Mag.

"I'm here Shi, I'm not going anywhere. It's okay now." He said into her hair, his eyes meeting the young doctors over her head. "How can we get out of here without being seen?" He asked, letting go of Shiloh to take the lab coat that was held out to him. The doctor quickly showed them the way out and wished them the best of luck.

"I'm so sorry for not doing anything earlier Mr. Wallace. It's my fault."

Nathan looked at the younger doctor for a moment.

"It's never too late to make a right decision. Thank you."

The doctor nodded as Nathan walked out. Shiloh had meanwhile attached herself to her father, and wasn't letting go, and she whispered her thanks as well to him.

The two of them got out without being seen, thanking their lucky stars as they went to the one place they could hide without fear of discovery.

Their home was dusty and stale when they opened the door, nothing had really changed except the video player in the living room. When Shiloh saw that her mind immediately went to Mag, No doubt Rotti had discovered Shiloh was gone and who knew what he would do to her.

"Dad, we have to help Mag. Rotti's still got her!"

Nathan's eyes widened as he looked at Shiloh.

"Dad, if we don't get her out he could really hurt her if he's angry enough. I know Mag never told me, but she started acting really weird after the night I fainted at dinner. She started sleeping with a baseball bat. I think Rotti tried to do something to her."

Nathan nodded, remembering Rotti's stories. He pulled Shiloh into the living room. "The wedding starts in two and a half hours. We have to help her get out of there somehow."

Nathan swallowed before asking her how she planned to get Mag out, paling when he heard her suggestion.

"I have to get caught."

oOOo

Mag winced as the henchgirl twisted her arm as she forced her to walk up the stairs and gave up again. It was hopeless, by now she at least knew that. The doors to the bedroom she had gotten ready in were wide open, allowing her to see Rotti watching her approach. Once the henchgirls had shoved her inside they closed the doors behind them, and she could hear the lock click as the bolt slid into place. Turning from the doors Mag looked up at Rotti and swallowed hard, clenching her hands into fists. She was going to protect her baby no matter what. She would rather die.

Rotti watched Mag for a moment before walking forward to stand in front of her, noticing how she seemed defy him without saying a word. His eyes traveled down to her still-flat stomach and back up to her face. He had contemplated the baby while his henchgirls retrieved his soon-to-be wife and had decided to use it against her until she had gone through with the wedding. Once it was over he planned to have the pregnancy terminated, it only complicated things, and he would not allow Nathan to win again.

Mag fought the urge to run and lock herself in the bathroom, opting instead to wait for Rotti to make the first move.

"Where is Shiloh Mag?" Rotti asked in a calm voice, folding his hands together over the handle of his cane as he looked into her eyes. "I know she wasn't at the house and I want to know where she is."

Mag glared at him. "I don't know."

Rotti glared at the singer. He had no time for her games today. The wedding was due to start in two hours and he needed the girl there. She had to be there or it all meant nothing. He took a deep breath before asking the question again.

Mag folded her arms over her stomach and gave him the same answer. "I don't know where she is."

Rotti lost control of his anger for a moment, snarling at her before grabbing Mag's arm and yanking her close. "Where is Shiloh?!" He yelled at her. Trying to yank her arm free Mag yelled back, her fear coming back full force at his anger. She knew what he could do if he was angry enough, and this time she didn't have enough strength to fight him off.

"I don't know! We had a fight this morning and she got upset. I don't know where she is!"

Rotti thrust her away from him and tightened his hold on the cane's handle. The momentum of his shove had knocked Mag to the floor, her eyes wide as Rotti advanced on her. "What did you say to her?" He snarled as he got down to her level, forcing her against a wall. "What did you say that made her so upset? Tell ME!"

"I don't know!" Mag cried. Rotti grabbed her arms again, lifting her up and shaking her as if that would produce the answer he was looking for. When she began kicking him, he dropped her to the floor and pushed her down.

Mag went into full-blown panic when Rotti straddled her hips to avoid getting hurt. A flashback hit her full force, and she no longer had any control over what she said. Her only goal was to get him off her. Now.

"What did you tell her?" He yelled. Tears started to stream down Mag's face as she struggled to get him off, fighting him like a wildcat in an effort to escape. Rotti slammed her against the floor again to get her under control. She saw the now-familiar stars as she fought for her breath. Unable to fight him anymore Mag yelled the words he was looking for. "I'm Pregnant!"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth she knew she was in trouble.

Rotti yanked her up again and shoved her against the wall so her face was inches from his.

"How could you do this? How could you betray me like that? You stupid woman!" He thrust her backwards and dropped her, somewhat satisfied as she curled up into a ball whimpering. He glared down at her and walked towards the door, grabbing his cane off the bed as he did so. He turned around and took a step towards his fiancée, anger pouring from him at her betrayal.

Mag scrambled dizzily away from him as quickly as she could, but her efforts were fairly useless. Her breathing became quick as her back hit the armoire.

"Don't touch me!" She had meant it to come out as a scream, but it ended up being more of a strangled cry. He leaned down once again, grabbing her face and making her look at him and grabbing her arms again before she could push him away. She flinched away from him, hysteria almost taking over as she imagined what Rotti would do to her now that he knew. Her eyes followed his every move as he shook his head and let go. He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it to reveal his henchgirls. He turned back and looked at Mag, his eyes taking in her mascara streaked face and the bruises all over her arms. She made no move to stand up, just looking up at him with a terror he had never seen before. His heart ached for a moment, and he whispered an apology. Quickly the moment passed as she wrapped her hands around her stomach, realizing that she was trying to protect her baby. Nathan's baby.

He turned around and slammed the door shut, leaving her there on the floor and locking her in until the wedding.

She would not escape him again.

oOOo

Rotti stormed down to his office, yelling at anyone who got in his way. His communicator blared to life with an incoming message from his security guards. Turns out that they had found Shiloh at her mother's grave. He was surprised that she thought she wouldn't be found there.

"Bring her in." He said as he sat behind his desk, grabbing the picture of Mag and throwing it as hard as he could against the wall. He frowned at the sound of the glass shattering. He was angry with himself for still wanting her despite her betrayal, he was angry with Mag for being pregnant, but most of all her was angry with Nathan for taking yet another thing he wanted away.

He was still sitting there when his henchmen dragged Shiloh in, their faces expressionless as she kicked and screamed. Rotti stood up and walked forward, watching Shiloh become eerily calm when he looked her in the eye.

"Isn't it enough that you killed my father? I don't want to be here when you kill Mag's spirit too."

Rotti studied the girl and saw the sincerity in her outrage. He was relieved that Shiloh still believed that Nathan was dead, it would make everything easier.

"Shiloh, I think you should go and get ready, the ceremony starts in a few hours and I want you to look your best."

He waved his arms, dismissing them as he turned and walked back to his desk.

"She will never love you!" Shiloh screamed as the men lead her out of the room, the door closing behind them and muffling her cries as she was led away.

He winced when he found that she was right. After everything he had done, Mag could never love him. Oh well. She would still be his, and Nathan would still be dead.

oOOo

Shiloh allowed the hairstylist and makeup artist to work on her, hoping that by the time she was dressed her father would have time to sneak onto the grounds. She stood up and stepped into her bridesmaids dress, holding her breath as she was laced into it. Once the maids had walked out Shiloh tested the door. She knew that Mag was somewhere in the house and she had to get her out. She had a plan.

She had gotten ready in a room that didn't have a bathroom, so she started pounding on the door calling out for someone to let her go to the bathroom. She heard the lock scraping and found herself face to face with the hairstylist, glad that she wouldn't have to take on a guard. It was obvious to her that the man was still scared of her, he stepped back and allowed her to pass and leaned in to close the bedroom door as he tried to stay as far away from her as possible. Thinking fast Shiloh lunged and shoved the man into the room, slamming the door closed and turning the key before he could yank it open. She pulled the key out of the lock on the off chance it would work on other doors before starting her search for her godmother.

She quickly knocked on every door and called out softly, each time meeting silence. After checking the entire wing she realized that Mag was probably on the other side of the manor, hardly convenient for her to get over to without being seen. She ran as fast as she could across the top of the stairs and down the hallway. She passed the open doors, obviously Mag would not be in any of those. There was only one closed door in this wing of the manor, and she would bet that Mag was inside. She called out quietly, but there was no answer. Her heart sunk, maybe they had put Mag somewhere else. Then she had an idea, maybe Mag was trying to make her leave, kind of like having Shiloh saving herself.

She tried the key, but it didn't even make it halfway into the lock. She kicked the door, despair setting in as she realized how hopeless the whole thing was. She was just about to kick the door again when she heard someone clearing their throat behind her. Shiloh whirled around and pressed herself back against it. Rotti was standing in front of her with his henchgirls on either side. He watched her for a moment before walking forward to open the door to the bedroom, stepping back to allow Shiloh to get inside. Shiloh hesitated for a moment, but one of his henchgirls grabbed her and pushed her inside.

She wasted no time in running to her godmother, who was sitting on the bed in her wedding dress, hair styled, and makeup done. What surprised Shiloh was the dead look in Mag's eyes. She stayed silent though, Rotti had followed them into the room. She felt Mag flinch beside her, and was surprised at her reaction. Mag had never let Rotti scare her before. Something must have happened while she had been gone, and guilt prodded her conscience. She should have told Mag where she was going. Obviously nothing pleasant was going to happen.

"I must applaud your escape Shiloh, that is twice today you got the better of those I assigned to watch you. It seems that is something that you two have in common." Rotti looked at Shiloh, then at Mag, who was staring just above his head, a defeated look on her face. A bit of worry pricked him. Maybe he had gone just a little too far earlier. But he quickly banished the thought and continued.

"Now Shiloh, I heard that you and Mag had a fight this morning, is that true?" He asked in a pleasant voice. Shiloh glared at him, not bothering to answer him as he shrugged and continued. "I want the two of you to make up before the ceremony starts. I will have my guards escort you downstairs in an hour."

With one last parting smile Rotti walked out and locked the two of them in.

Shiloh hugged Mag tight, once again surprised when Mag made almost no move the reciprocate the move. It was as if this was just Mag's body and her mind was far away. She decided to try and talk.

"I'm sorry Mag." She tired as she looked up at her, her voice wavering a little. "Last night I came into your bedroom to see if you were okay and I overheard you talking to yourself. I heard you say that you didn't really care for me but I didn't deserve whatever was upsetting you. That is why I was so angry."

This got Mag's attention, and relief filled Shiloh when she saw that Mag seemed a little more normal. She was even more encouraged when Mag scooped her up in her arms.

"Oh Shiloh! I wasn't talking about you sweetie, I was talking about Amber when I said I never really cared. I thought you had overheard me saying your father was alive!"

Shiloh wrapped her arms tighter and breathed a sigh of relief. They both sat there in silence for a few moments before Shiloh pulled back.

"I know that you left the cottage earlier. Where did you go?"

Shiloh smiled and told Mag what had happened, her father was free and safe. She told her about her plan, scared to death that it wouldn't work and her father would be killed in the effort to get them out. Mag listened to Shiloh speak, almost unable to grasp what had happened. Nathan was out and trying to get them away from Rotti. A spark of hope lit in her heart and began to burn.

She listened to Shiloh until there was a knock on the door. Dread filled her body yet again. Her wedding was starting, and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it.

Shiloh held Mag's hand more for her own support than Mag's as they walked down the stairs. Shiloh knew that Mag was teetering on the edge of sanity. Something had pushed her far enough to make her practically shut down earlier, and Shiloh was very worried.

The waiters stared as they made their decent and noticed the henchgirls that were shadowing the two of them. None of the servers had paid attention up until that point, but it was obvious to anyone who looked at them that they were both miserable and the bride was absolutely terrified.

As they drew closer to the doors leading out into the garden Shiloh pulled Mag into a standstill and looked up into Mag's eyes. "You don't have to go through with this Mag. Dad could still..."

Shiloh trailed off, unable to accept that her father had failed her. Mag impulsively pulled her into a hug and fought the urge to cry. Mag tried to push away any feeling at all, negative or positive. Right now all she wanted was for it to be over. After today she couldn't fight Rotti anymore, and if she was going to keep Shiloh or her baby safe, she would just have to deal with it when it came. Hopefully she would be too drunk to realize what was happening.

"I know he tried honey, but I have to face facts now. No one can really do anything anymore." Shiloh pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes so they wouldn't ruin her makeup.

"I'm so sorry." She hugged Mag once more before taking the lead and approached the wedding planner. Mag watched her take a small bouquet of lilies before starting her determined walk down the aisle.

Shiloh's courage gave her the strength to slowly follow. Once Shiloh had passed through the doors the wedding march started and Mag was handed a bouquet of red roses tied with a black ribbon, her head began to pound when she realized the thorns were removed.

Nathan had given her a red rose just like these it after her first performance as Christine from Phantom almost twenty years ago.

She stared at the flowers for a moment before starting her walk, her legs feeling heavier with each step. Flashbulbs were going off from all directions and Mag didn't even bother to fix a smile on her face, all she could manage was a serene look that she hoped could be chalked up to wedding-day jitters. Rotti would be furious if there was any doubt in the magazines the next morning that she wasn't happy to be with him.

She had to work up the nerve to look at the man himself. Bile rose in the back of her throat as her mind fired memories at her, and with heroic effort she managed to suppress another flashback. She could not have a panic attack now. When her eyes finally met his she was surprised to see nothing but love in them, but that only made her stomach nauseous. It took all her effort not to run away in the other direction as fast as she could.

Shiloh stood off to the left, giving Mag a watery but genuine smile of encouragement. All of a sudden it felt like someone had hit the fast forward button and then hidden the remote. It seemed to take a short time to walk to the alter and hand her flowers off to Shiloh.

Her mask faltered only when she turned to look at him, and placed her hands in his.

Her heart sank deeper. In just a few moments she would be bound legally, spiritually, and physically to her own personal hell.

oOOo

Nathan had listened to Shiloh's idea at first with complete shock. He realized how many things could go wrong. Soon though he admitted there was no other conceivable way to get to Mag. And he knew he didn't have much time. He had gone along with it.

After they had parted ways, Nathan had gone around back and waited. He had just been about to attack one of the guards patrolling around the back of the grounds when the back gate opened up just enough to let a small man in a black robe come out.

The minister nodded at the guard as he walked past and waited until he had gone around a corner before pulling out a flask, taking a swig and wiping his brow before debating on whether or not it was worth it to go back. His thoughts were interrupted when Nathan walked forward and made his presence known, clearing his throat and asking to borrow the flask. The minister's eyes grew large and he was about to call out for security when Nathan shoved him against the wall and held his hand over his mouth.

"If you want to live I suggest you be quiet. I am not here to hurt you or anyone but Rotti and I need your help to do it." he hissed. The minister looked up at the man holding him against the wall and nodded, almost scared enough to wet himself. Nathan looked the man over and noticed that he was the same man he had saved all those weeks ago from another Repo Man. Finally something was working in his favor.

"You have probably repressed it, but we have met before. I saved your life during a Repossession. What did Rotti promise you? That if you married him and Mag he would spare your life?"

The minister could only nod, shaking as he did so and wishing he had control of his nerves. Nathan ignored his terror before getting to the heart of the matter.

"I saved your life, now please..." Here his voice broke. "Please help me save mine. He has my daughter and my… my... I have to get them out... Please help me get them out." He lowered his hand and took a step back, letting the minister go. If he decided to shout for security Nathan knew he would be a goner. Instead the minister gave him a nervous smiled before allowing him to go through the gate and onto the property. Nathan whispered his thanks before disappearing around the corner of the house, his plan was to knock out a guest and steal his clothes.

Once he was suitably dressed, he heard the music starting. He cursed when he realized that there was no way he was going to get them out without doing it out in the open. He quickly snagged a seat in the back of the garden next to celebrity reporter Cherry Harry. His eyes went to the alter and he saw Rotti standing there in a tux. He was just about to stand up and draw attention to himself when the double doors leading to the house opened. Everyone turned back to see Shiloh walk out wearing a beautiful amethyst dress and a determined look on her face.

Once she got up to the alter she ignored the hand Rotti held out to her and took her place to the left, the way she stood made it clear that she didn't want to be there. Rotti had shot a glare at her for a moment before turning to the doors again, a smile spreading over his face when Mag walked out.

Nathan couldn't breathe; she was wearing the dress she had made for Marni's wedding, albeit dressed up a little. Mag looked so beautiful and heartbroken it tore him up inside. He watched her look everywhere but at Rotti as she walked. Tears filled Nathans eye's from the look of encouragement that Shiloh gave her. Mag handed her the roses she had been carrying and turned to place her hands in Rotti's.

Nathan knew that despite the calm look on her face she would rather be anywhere but there. He looked up at the minister and winced when he started the ceremony, it was cliché but he was going to wait until the time was right to object. There was no way Rotti would come out of his smelling like Mag's roses.

oOOo

Mag barely heard the minister as he started to speak, while her eyes were looking into Rotti's her mind was going back to more happy times. She tried to remove her mind from the situation. If she could just check out mentally she would make it through this. She didn't listen to what the minister was saying.

Soon though, it came to the exchanging of the vows. Rotti had decided to go with tradition and only had to say 'I Do', but when the same question was asked of Mag Rotti had to tighten his grip on her hand to get her attention. Her eyes snapped to the minister as she asked him to repeat the question, earning a chuckle from everyone in attendance except Rotti. Mag was almost unable to speak. Her throat started closing up on her as she realized that as soon as she did this, she would be his. Unable to speak clearly she whispered the words. She felt the tears start, and prayed fervently that everyone would think that it was out of joy. If there were any negative mentions in the paper the next morning, she would catch hell and more. The minister nodded and turned to the crowd.

"If there is anyone here who has a reason that this marriage should not take place, let him speak now or forever hold is peace."

From the back of the garden there came an objection, the man in question standing up and forcing himself past the other seated guests to stand in the isle. It took a moment or too before she could get through the shock and recognize who had come to be her own personal knight in shining armor.

"Nathan!" She gasped. She felt Rotti's grip tighten savagely. She wrenched her hands out of Rotti's hold and gathered her skirt in her hands. She ran down the aisle towards Nathan, finally letting the tears free, as threw herself into his arms. Nathan held her tightly and kissed every inch he could reach as she cried, tears of joy fell down his cheeks as they both fought to hold each other closer. Mag grabbed the back of his neck and stood on her toes, her lips meeting his as the crowd stared in wonder at the display.

Their kiss was interrupted when a single shot rang out. Nathan could plainly see what was going on, but Mag had to spin around before she could catch a glimpse of who had fired the shot.

Rotti had a death grip on Shiloh's arm. He lowered the gun he had just fired into the air and pointed it at the two of them.

"Mag, if you don't get back up here I will kill him right now." Mag felt her knees go weak. She made a move to go forward, but Nathan pushed her behind him and held up his hands, calling out as he took a step forward.

"It's over Rotti. There is no way you can get out of this now. Everyone here now knows that you forced her into this!"

Rotti yanked on Shiloh's arm and she whimpered before turning to look at her father. Mag shoved past Nathan and grabbed his hand; she would not hide behind him while the man she was in love with was in danger.

Rotti watched her take his hand and gave a short scream of anger, this was not how things were supposed to work out. He started to cough harder as he watched the two of them start to come forward. Seeing red he pointed the gun at Nathan.

Shiloh watched in horror as he aimed the gun. She screamed as she fought with him. She grabbed Rotti's arm and yanked it up, struggling with him for control of the weapon. Rotti managed to get the gun down once again and a single shot rang through the garden, eliciting screams from everyone in attendance.

All had leapt up and started running in different directions to get away when Rotti fell, gasping for breath and dropping the gun. Shiloh swooped down and picked it up, pointing it him while looking over her shoulder to see where her family was. She frowned as she frantically searched the crowd. When her eyes finally found them her blood ran cold. Rotti's shot had met its mark. Shiloh dropped the gun and had ran forward, screaming out a name as she shoved through the crowd.

"MAG!"

For there, collapsed on the ground and gasping for air was her godmother, a garish red stain slowly staining her white dress.

Author note: I shall hide under my bed now.


	10. Chapter 10

I Didn't Know I'd Love You So Much

Nathan applied pressure to Mag's wound frantically trying to staunch the seemingly endless flow of blood. He knew if he let his Repo self take over he would stay calm, but then again, it was that part of his mind that had gotten them into most of this trouble in the first place, so he pushed the hissing voice away. Mag opened her eyes weakly, locked her gaze with his, and gave him a sad smile.

Fate was a bitch. Just when they should finally have the chance to be happy it was taken away from them so quickly.

Shiloh was at her side in an instant, it had taken her just a little while longer to run from the altar.

"Pleasedon'tdie!" She gasped, the words slurring together. "Please don't die Mag! Please!" She whispered over and over again getting louder and louder as she became hysterical.

Mag meanwhile was doing everything she could to not scream from the pain. Seeing Shiloh's panicking face though, she spent the last bit of her energy and raised her hand to Shiloh's cheek. This accomplished, she lost consciousness.

Shiloh looked up at her dad helplessly, fought to not cry for a moment, and then gave up, freely sobbing and trying not to think about what everyone else must be thinking. Her heart broke as she realized that her godmother might not survive. They both stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity; Nathan pressing the skirt of Mag's ruined dress to her wound and fighting his own battle with the Repo Man, and Shiloh crying and crushing Mag's hand in her own.

The paramedics finally arrived after what seemed like years, sirens screaming and breaking up the pandemonium that had broken out after the gunshot. Two ambulances screeched to a halt nearby and it seemed like a sea of medics flooded the area, immediately rushing to the two prone forms on the ground.

Shiloh backed up a few steps, suddenly feeling lost and completely out of place as the men quickly and professionally assessed the situation and began working. Nathan was trying to reason with himself, but even though he knew that no one could hurt her anymore he still had a hard time relinquishing Mag when the medic pushed him aside.

Mag's limp body was pulled onto a stretcher and quickly carried away, leaving Nathan and Shiloh to race after them. They both made it over to the ambulance before one of the paramedics turned and addressed them in a short, clipped tone.

"I'm sorry sir, but we can only take one person per ambulance."

Nathan looked helplessly to Shiloh. Shiloh realized what he wanted and nodded, and she watched the relief flood his face. She walked to the next ambulance where Rotti was being carried and watched her father hop through the doors as they closed.

Shiloh felt the impatience slowly squeeze the air out of her lungs. The medics were taking it slower and more carefully with Rotti. It must have taken them about 15 minutes to get Rotti prepped for travel where it had taken only moments with Mag. Guess the Voice of GeneCo took precedence over the Head of GeneCo.

The drive to the hospital was excruciating. Nasty thoughts and worries buzzed around her mind like bees.

'_What if she dies?'_

'_What if she is dying right now?'_

'_What if she wants to see me?'_

'_What if she is asking for me right now?'_

'_What if dad is telling her that I'll be here soon?'_

'_What if she dies before I get there?'_

Shiloh felt completely helpless. She started to pray; the same prayer she had heard Mag whispering in her ear as she had lain in that hospital bed so long ago.

oOOo

Rotti opened his eyes suddenly. He was confused for a moment and then the pain hit him. He didn't want to lose consciousness just then, and looked around. To his infinite surprise, he saw Shiloh sitting as close to the door of the ambulance and she could possibly get, poised to jump out the minute they opened.

With nothing else to do, he looked at her. He took in the bloodstains on her dress and the lost look on her face. He saw what he had done to her and, again to his surprise, couldn't face it he closed his eyes again.

Shiloh wiped away her tears angrily, determined to stay strong until she knew that Mag was okay. Once they had arrived at the hospital she wasted no time in jumping out of the vehicle and heading for her father. Rotti was unable to let her go without telling her how sorry he was. He rasped out her name as loudly as the oxygen mask would allow and she turned back as the paramedics unloaded him. She watched him try to apologize for a moment, gave him a disgusted glare, and turned and continued on her way to the emergency room.

Rotti could only watch her go, feeling a twinge of emotion he could only describe as regret. The girl really had made him soft.

oOOo

Shiloh walked into the waiting room and dropped into a chair next to her father. She tried pulling her knees up to her chest, but was hampered by the long skirt of her dress. She settled for holding her head in her hands.

"Mag is going to be okay." Shiloh said. Her voice wavered but her determination to believe that fact was all that was holding her together. Nathan nodded once, before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Shiloh leaned against him and started crying again.

Nathan felt helpless and could only whisper "I hope so."

Not long after that a Gentern came in to check call the next patient into the examining room. The blood stains on Shiloh's dress and Nathan's borrowed clothes caught her attention. She walked over to them and put a hand on Shiloh's shoulder.

"I have some scrubs I can give you for the time being. It may be a while until you hear something and I'm sure you don't want to wait in those clothes."

Shiloh looked at her dad, and it broke his heart that she thought she had to get his approval for something as little as that. He nodded ad watched as Shiloh followed the Gentern down the hall. She came back barefoot and carrying a plastic bag that contained her dress and shoes. The scrubs she was wearing were a size too big, drowning her small frame and if it the circumstances were different Nathan would have grinned at how comical she looked. But they weren't, so he sighed and took his turn changing.

oOOo

Sometime around 2:00 that morning Shiloh fell asleep. Her dreams attacked her from every angle with the mistakes she had made.

In her dream she was walking in the graveyard with the Graverobber. They passed by her mother's grave, her ghost rising from the ground and whispering 'murderer' as she past.

"It started with your mother; if you hadn't been born she would still be alive." Graverobber said, the grin still on his face.

They passed the grave and her mother's ghost fell into step behind her, still calling her a murderer.

"If you hadn't killed your mother, your father would never have been forced to be a Repo man." He said this time. Too many ghosts to count rose out of the ground and watched them pass, hissing at her and falling into step behind her mother.

"Monster, Devil's Child, Murderer!"

Shiloh could do nothing. The Graverobber smirked at her, pulling her to a stop in front of Amber, Pavi, and Luigi's graves. They too rose out of the ground.

Amber's faceless corpse grinned insanely at her. Shiloh shuddered and cried harder. "I didn't mean...I don't..." Unable to form words Shiloh took off, running through the graveyard and passing hissing ghosts until she tripped over a broken headstone and fell to her hands and knees at the foot of a fresh grave.

Shiloh stared at the ground sobbing until she was surrounded by ghosts, the names they hissed filled her head and she cried out against them, slapping her hands over her ears and screaming at the top of her lungs. All of a sudden there was complete silence, everything disappeared and all she could see was a pale light reflecting off of the headstone in front of her. She looked up, gasping when the Graverobber rose slowly from behind it.

"Let's face it kid, everything you touch dies."

Shiloh looked at the name written on the stone and screamed.

oOOo

Nathan was jolted from his dozing by Shiloh flailing next to him and screaming Mag's name as she awoke. Nathan held Shiloh as she shook, and heard her whimper Mag's name a few times before she finally calmed down enough to fall back to sleep in his arms. He gently placed her back down and grabbed the scratchy blanket the Gentern had thoughtfully left behind, covering her gently and brushing Shiloh's hair from her face.

Not long after that Shiloh woke up again and found her father pacing the room, eyes never leaving the floor, hands crossed in front of his chest. She watched him, mind blank, mesmerized by the movement in the otherwise empty and still waiting room. All the other patients must have been taken care of already.

Both their attentions snapped to the doctor as he walked into the waiting room. Nathan quickly stood up from the chair he had somehow ended up sitting in again and Shiloh jumped up beside him, both asking questions at the same time. The doctor held up his hands against their interrogation and started out with the one answer they were both looking for.

"We have her stable right now. She was very lucky, a little down and to the right and the bullet would've hit her heart. As it is, the bullet missed her vital organs and we were able to stop the bleeding. Given time, she'll be as good as new."

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief, his worst fears were behind him and Mag was going to be fine. He gave the doctor a full out grin and opened his mouth to ask if they could see her when Shiloh jumped in and interrupted him.

"Is the baby okay?"

Nathan's eyes grew wide as he processed what Shiloh had just said. "Baby?"

The doctor smiled at the girl before answering. "The baby is just fine."

Crying out in relief Shiloh threw herself at the doctor, hugging him with all the force she could muster. "Oh thank God!"

Nathan was still in shock. "What baby?" He asked in a dazed voice. At his question, Shiloh let go of the rigid doctor and looked at him sheepishly before elbowing her father.

"Can we see her?"

"I'm sorry, but right now I want to have her under observation for a few hours before we let anyone in. Why don't you both go home and get some rest for right now. I promise to call if anything changes."

Nathan, who had by now regained some composure, nodded. Shooting a look at Shiloh he led her over to the plastic seats they had been sitting in before. "Explain."

"We just found out yesterday and I know that she wanted to tell you. She was so scared when she found out and it didn't help that we were fighting. I just wish I could tell you in a better way."

Nathan paled, he needed to know. "Is the baby Rotti's?"

Shiloh stood up quickly. "Are you nuts? Mag would have killed herself before she ever slept with Rotti! She told me what happened between you… She says that you're the father."

Nathan closed his eyes and was assaulted with memories from their night together. Obviously it was possible. He opened his eyes and looked at Shiloh, smiling for a moment before pulling her into a hug. Shiloh was the first to pull back, a silly smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She laughed lightly for the first time in weeks and stood up. "I don't want to leave, but there is something I have to take care of back at Mag's house. Can we go there really quick?"

Nathan nodded and walked over to the receptionist.

"Can you call a cab for us?"

The young, frazzled-looking woman looked him over once before huffing that it would be there soon.

The cab company was a quick, and the car got there in less than 15 minutes, though to Shiloh, it seemed like hours. They fought their way through a sea of reporters shouting questions and ducked into the cab.

Once they had gotten to the Largo estate they climbed out of the car and walked through the media circus to get through the gates. Microphones were shoved in their faces as they dashed past, nearly knocking the eager reporters over in their rush to get onto the grounds.

They managed to get to the cottage with no problems. After opening the door Nathan was introduced to the home that Mag had taken Shiloh into for the first time. He followed Shiloh as she started whistling and clapping her hands gently. She ducked into the kitchen. Nathan was about to follow suit when he spotted a few pictures of both Mag and Shiloh taken over the last few weeks sitting on the mantel.

Shiloh came back into the living room and smiled when she saw the picture her dad was holding. "That was taken during a recording session. Mag and I were working on a duet for my album." The picture showed the two of them standing in the recording booth together and making faces at the camera.

Nathan smiled at the picture and put it down gently; he had missed so much. He turned around to see what else Mag had put up when he noticed the papers scattered on the floor. While Shiloh disappeared down the hall Nathan started picking up papers and reading them. He was just about to set them on the coffee table when Shiloh shrieked. In his rush to get down the hall he scattered them all over the floor again. Once he had reached the open doorway to what he could only assume was Shiloh's bedroom a strange sight met his eyes. The bedroom was a disaster and sitting in the middle of it, curled up with his head resting on Shiloh's teddy bear, was a small puppy. Shiloh turned and looked at her dad, a sheepish look on her face as she explained herself.

"Daddy, meet Maestro. I think he got bored while we were gone."

oOOo

Mag woke up to an empty room with the sound of medical equipment beeping in the background. She looked around and tried to sit up. A white-hot pain shot through her body and she fell back against the bed.

"_Okay Maggie, let's not do that again anytime soon."_

She looked around the room, down at the IV that was stuck in the back of her hand, and at the ceiling. For a moment, the sight was a strange thing, foreign and unfamiliar, and for that second, she thought it was 18 years ago and she was just waking up from her eye surgery. As it was, everything was fuzzy and far away, even her thoughts seemed to move sluggishly, like they were a thick syrup oozing down an incline. Her eyelids felt heavy, and the colors seemed to blur into each other.

She was only able to stay awake long enough to see a doctor come in holding a chart.

"Mrs. Largo, you're awake!" He started, only to be interrupted by a drugged Mag.

"Isnot Largo, Nathan 'jected. MMMMnot... Largo…." She slurred. The doctor frowned as Mag passed out again, head falling back onto the pillows.

oOOo

When Mag opened her eyes for the second time she was met with the sight of a girl with black hair and pale skin half lying on the bed and holding her right hand dead asleep. She was very familiar-looking, strikingly, unsettlingly familiar –looking.

"_Marni?"_ She thought, the question hanging open in her mind. She watched her for a moment as the girl slept, wracking her fuzzy brain for the name. Same bone structure, same hair, same skin…. But something was off.

"_Shiloh."_With the recognition everything fell into place and the cloud lifted. Marni, Nathan, Shiloh, Marni dying. Rotti. Rotti trying to…

"_Okay, stop there. Just STOP Maggie."_

Oh God. The baby.

"_Okay… Don't panic. Don't panic. DON'T PANIC! Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm."_

She looked away from Shiloh and saw Nathan asleep in the chair. As she shifted a sharp pain rushed through her body. Getting shot was no fun. Let's make a mental note to not do that again.

Okay. The not panicking thing wasn't working.

"Shiloh?" She tried to keep the desperation out of her voice and almost succeeded.

Shiloh awoke and slowly straightened up; smiling when she realized it was Mag and not the nurse. Shiloh just looked for a moment.

"Oh God Mag! Thank goodness! I was so worried about you and that you weren't going to wake up and…."

A confused look crossed Shiloh's features for a moment as she felt Mag's grip turn vise-like.

"Oh my God Mag! I'm so sorry! The baby's fine."

Tears of relief filled her eyes momentarily. Her hand went to her stomach and her eyes went to Nathan, who was sleeping slumped forward in an uncomfortable-looking chair nearby. For a moment she let the monitors beep out her beats of her heart.

Shiloh followed her godmother's gaze. "Daddy knows. He was there when I asked the doctor."

Mag looked at Shiloh guardedly for a moment before she raised her eyebrow in question.

"I think he's happy about it." Shiloh answered. Mag turned her gaze back to Nathan, but not before Shiloh saw a small smile on her face.

As if he could feel her eyes on him he started to wake up. She smiled when she saw him blink a few times, looking very childish.

"Welcome back Maggie. You scared us for a while there." Nathan whispered, straightening up before leaning forward and kissing her forehead.

"Nate, I..." At the look on his face Mag trailed off, deciding that he could be the one to bring up this particular subject. Nathan turned to Shiloh and gave her a significant look, the kind of look that made her stand up and tell Mag that she was going to find the doctor before she hastily exited the room.

Nathan sighed and moved around the bed to take Mag's hand. He held it between both of his and looked down at their intertwined fingers before starting.

"I almost lost you... both of you." His eyes flashed up to hers for a second before returning to their hands. "Are you okay with this?" He didn't allow Mag time to answer before he continued.

"I mean, we're sort of a packaged deal. Conceive one get two free..." He trailed off at his lame joke, finally meeting Mag's eyes and holding her gaze. Mag didn't know whether to laugh or cry so she settled for both. Nathan held her close and she buried her head in his arms.

Just then the doctor came in, obviously embarrassed about ruining the moment between them. He cleared his voice and asked Nathan to clear the room so he could check Mag over. Nathan looked at her hesitantly, and she nodded slightly. He left the room begrudgingly, and decided to pace until the doctor left. He saw Shiloh walk down the hall to him and ask why he was out of the room.

"The doctors checking over Mag. He'll be out soon and tell us what he finds."

The doctor came out a short while later to tell them the good news.

"If everything goes well in the next week then she can go home, though she will most likely be sore for a while. I'll give you a referral to a physical therapist, she'll need to do that three times a week to make sure that her muscles don't shrink."

Smiling and thanking the doctor, the Nathan went back in and resumed his post on the side of Mag's bed, Shiloh plopped down on the chair he had abandoned. Mag sighed happily. She hadn't felt this taken care of since before Shiloh was born.

"Did the doctor say when I can leave?" She asked, eyes pleading them for an answer. Shiloh smiled as her dad immediately told her what the doctor had said. It looked like he was going to be wrapped around her finger just as much as he was Shiloh's.

Shiloh poured Mag a glass of water and waited until she had taken a few swallows.

"Um… Mag? There's something I have to tell you."

Mag's eyes shot up and looked at her quizzically. "Shiloh, what's wrong?"

Shiloh winced. "Rotti…. He…. He's still alive. The paramedics were able to get him to the hospital before he… Well… you know, died."

The haunted look that flashed across Mag's face startled Nathan. He grabbed her hand. "Whatever happens we will get through this."

Mag swallowed her fears and sighed loudly.

"I don't know whether to hate him or pity him. At least it's over now."

Shiloh nodded. The silence that fell over the room was thick and awkward, and finally, Shiloh changed the subject. She started telling Mag about the mess she had found when they had gone to feed Maestro when Mag got a sheepish look on her face.

"I'm afraid I made that mess when I went back to the cottage to look for you." Shiloh laughed at the look on her face and it wasn't long until Mag joined in. Nathan just smiled at the two of them and shook his head.

Visiting hours didn't last long enough for the three of them, but Mag had tired quickly after the doctor had come in and had fallen asleep shortly after. After their short talk with Mag they had decided to move back to Nathan's house. The memories that surrounded the cottage made it a place Mag never wanted to go back to, and Shiloh quickly seconded the sentiment. Mag had never been able to shake the fear that she felt every time the lights were off and she was alone in the house, even when she knew Shiloh was so close by.

While Mag was recuperating Nathan and Shiloh started the moving process. They spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and making sure it was aired out. They visited Mag but didn't stay long, they wanted to have the house finished before Mag was ready to come home, and Mag herself had been exhausted and drugged-out from the pain pills.

oOOo

Packing up the cottage seemed to take forever. Who knew that over the years Mag could collect so much stuff?

Shiloh put her dad in charge of the kitchen while she packed up the living room. She had just finished boxing up the last of the pictures when she opened the closet behind the piano.

Inside was a bunch of coats and other assorted items, which she quickly boxed up. After clearing the closet, Shiloh uncovered a box labeled with a bunch of dates and colors listed next to them. Unable to resist, Shiloh opened it and found slim binders full of music, each one a different color. The music inside was handwritten on slightly yellowed with age paper, but it was clear that Mag had written them, the handwriting was the same. She couldn't overcome her curiosity though, and flipped gently through the binders, coming across a few pieces of sheet music listed simply as 'Marni'. Her mother had written these.

Closing the binder Shiloh put it back in the box quickly and felt like she had seen something she wasn't meant to see yet, kind of like finding the Christmas presents before they were wrapped. She quickly made a vow that before she went any further she would ask Mag if it was okay to go through it. The box had been hidden away, so Mag had probably put it there for a reason.

She grabbed a few empty boxes before going into Mag's room, knowing that it would take her a while to pack everything. She turned on the radio while she worked through Mag's closet, trying to keep track of where she put everything so she could borrow stuff later. She was momentarily distracted when the DJ came on the air.

"_Well folks, it looks like things are shaping up in the Geneco world again. Reactions from the almost wedding between Songbird Blind Mag and and Geneco CEO Rotti Largo still echo across the city. Reports of Mr. Largo's failing health have reached us here at the studio and we wish him a speedy recovery. _

_On a happier note, with the details still unknown as to how she was wounded, we are pleased to report that Blind Mag is recovering nicely and will be released from the hospital within the next week. While she was unavailable to comment, we do know that Shiloh Wallace has been reunited with her father, Dr. Nathan Wallace, who from our source within the company says wasn't dead at all but held captive by one of Blind Mag's crazed fans. Apparently, the fan has been apprehended and Dr. Wallace reunited with his daughter. Here is her newest single, Skin"_

Shiloh frowned as the opening chords started and switched the stereo to play the old Sarah Brightman CD that Mag had left in it. She couldn't care less about Rotti, but she had thought that there were enough reporters at the wedding to make sure the story got out. What bothered her even more were the lies told about her father's disappearance. Guess Rotti had enough power even when dying to make sure that he wouldn't be blamed for anything.

Shaking her head she allowed the soothing music to calm her down and moved on to the pictures on the mantle. It didn't take her long to pack up the rest of the room.

oOOo

Nathan paced nervously while he waited for Shiloh to get dressed. Today was the day that Mag was coming home. But, before they left he had to have a serious talk with his daughter.

Shiloh bounced down the stairs.

"Shiloh? Can I talk to you for a bit before we go?"

He led her into the overstuffed living room. He took Shiloh's hands in his before taking a deep breath. Shiloh's mind flashed back to not that long ago when they had sat in the same position just before this whole mess started. She swallowed and looked up at her father expectantly.

"Shiloh, I will always love your mother. I don't ever want you to think anything different. Every day I had with her was one I will treasure; I only wish you could have known her. You inherited everything that is wonderful from her and I know she will always be watching over you." Nathan paused as he got to the heart of the matter, taking a deep breath before he got out what he wanted to say.

"I want to ask Mag to marry me. After all these years I still love her and it would mean a lot to me if you were okay with this."

Shiloh ignored the tears in her eyes and hugged her dad. "I know you loved mom Daddy. I always knew it. I want you to be happy. I want you both to be happy."

Nathan smiled through his tear-filled eyes and hugged her before pulling out the ring he had picked out. He opened the box and admitted to buying it while she was visiting Mag the day before.

"I don't know when I am going to ask, but I want to be prepared."

Shiloh looked at the simple ring, the single diamond sparkled as it caught the light and the white gold band shined against the blue velvet box it rested in. Looking up at her dad she smiled.

"It's absolutely perfect dad."

oOOo

To say Mag was excited to be getting out of the hospital was the understatement of the century. She hated the thought of being in the same building as the man who had almost killed her. According to the doctors it wouldn't be long until Rotti passed away from his cancer. Once that happened she had no idea what she was going to do. She had been singing for most of her adult life and didn't know anything else. Mag had never thought that she would be grateful to Rotti for anything, but when he had publicly attacked her and Shiloh after the failed wedding he had absolved them from the contracts they had signed. The only good that had come of this was the SurGens and Genterns had stopped calling her Mrs. Largo.

Shiloh couldn't care less about Rotti's impending death and had gone as far as telling him so. He had tried to visit Mag a few days after she had woken up but Shiloh had caught him before he had opened the door. She had just come out of Mag's room to go get a cup of coffee for her father when she saw him being pushed towards Mag's room in a wheelchair with a flower in his hands. A single, white lily.

At that moment she finally understood the meaning of the phrase 'seeing red'. Shiloh had folded her arms and planted her feet before hissing at him to go.

"Leave now. We don't want you here and I know that Mag would agree with me when I say I hope you find a dark hole and crawl in it and die. Cancer is the easy way out. Come near me, Mag, or my father again and I swear that I will find a way to kill you."

She glared at him and waited until the nurse wheeled him back towards his room. She waited until he was almost down the hall before she spoke again.

"Just to let you know, Mag hates lilies!" She yelled.

Mag had listened to the conversation and laughed lightly. She knew that no matter what, she had her family and there was nothing Rotti could do to change that.

Mag's memory session was interrupted by Shiloh coming in to help her get ready to go home. It was slightly less embarrassing than accepting help from the male Gentern that had been assigned to her.

Once she was ready, they made her ride out in a wheelchair, completely ignoring her when she insisted she could walk.

"I wasn't shot in the leg for heaven's sake!"

Shiloh giggled and picked up the red roses Nathan had given Mag, knowing that she hated feeling like an invalid. Once they got her in the car Nathan drove them home, all of the, ignoring the flashes of the media's cameras as they exited the hospital grounds.

oOOo

Mag sat back and watched Nathan drive. Something was up, she could tell. He had looked at Shiloh and winked one too many times for it just to be happiness. They passed the road that would have taken them home and Nathan didn't say anything, just kept staring ahead and smiling.

Mag looked back at Shiloh and found her smiling and looking out the window too. She debated asking what was going on, but decided against it. She would join in on whatever was going on and not spoil their fun. It wasn't like they would tell her anyway. After awhile the city became suburbs, and after that the houses became few and far between, and when there were any, there little pocket of houses together in all that space. This was where Nathan pulled over.

He got out of the car and walked around to open her door. Taking her hand, he helped her out of the car. She looked around and saw that the huge hovercraft was only a speck in the distance and in between them and the city was a large field. The air so far away from the city here was pure and the sky was actually a dingy shade of blue instead of the gray-black it was in the city.

Mag turned to look at Nathan with a curious gleam in her eyes. He gently turned her around and she saw two abandoned houses next to each other. Nathan smiled and pulled her along. Something was very familiar about this place. It wasn't the sights, in all the memories she could conjure up, nothing even looked like this at all, it was some deeper memory that she couldn't name. For some reason the number 203 popped in her head. As they walked, she tried to puzzle out what the number and the place could be. Suddenly it hit her.

_120 steps to the right. Grope left, big stick pushed into the ground. Feel. Run hands until you find the twig on the side. Follow twig direction 30 steps. Turn left. 32 steps straight. Stop. Bend down, feel water. Walk over creek, don't get wet. 21 steps forward. Lean forward. Feel the smooth rock. Sit down. 230 steps done. Now wait. Wait for him._

_Nathan._

She knew where they were going. They hadn't been there since he left for medical school. That had been where they had said their last goodbyes. She had been 16, he 19.

"_It'll only be for a little while Maggie. Don't worry; I'll be back soon enough._

She closed her eyes as they walked, relinquishing the sight and letting all her old instincts come back. As she walked, she counted steps for the first time in almost 20 years. The stick was gone, the creek dried up, but it was still as familiar as it had always been. And finally, they got to where they would stop. She leaned over and felt the rock, opening her eyes and seeing where she had spent so much of her childhood for the first time in her life. The rock was larger than she imagined it would be, but worn even more smooth than she remembered. It was a light gray color. Gray like Nathan's shirt.

Mag whispered, overcome by emotions she couldn't quite put a name too. "Nate, this is where we met..." Memories of that day were treasures that she had held on to during the years. They were a little strange and fuzzy because she hadn't seen the events, but it was as if those particular ones would have been even less special if she had watched him come up behind her. She remembered his touch on her hand, her tears on her face. The grass on her legs. The sun on her face, and her hair down her back. And his voice.

"_It's okay. You don't have to cry anymore. I'll be your friend, and your Daddy can look down from heaven and see that you're happy. That's what my mommy told me when grampa died."_

They had both been so young, she was probably four and he five or six.

Nathan smiled and got down on one knee, taking her hand in his and looking up into her eyes.

"I let you go once before because you asked me to. Now I'm asking you to stay here with me, with us. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you again and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that never happens. When I was in that cell only my memories of you and Shiloh kept me going and I knew that as long as I lived I would love you. Magdalene Defoe will you marry me?"

Tears filled her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh Nathan… Yes of course!"

Nathan picked her up and spun around once (carefully so he wouldn't jostle her arm) before kissing her again, slipping the ring on her finger and taking her hand.

Shiloh, meanwhile, had been sitting under a tree near the car waiting for them to get back. When she saw them appear from the distance she jumped up and ran, throwing herself at her father and hugging them both. She grabbed Mag's hand and gushed over the ring, all the while noticing the happy smile on Mag's face

"I guess that means we can turn the guest room into the baby's room now, huh?" Shiloh said, and Mag and her father burst out in laughter.

oOOo

The days seemed to pass quickly after that. Much of their time was spent putting the house in order and getting a room ready for the baby.

About two weeks after Nathan had proposed to Mag they got a call from Rotti's lawyer telling them of Rotti's passing. Apparently he had died an agonizingly slow death alone in his hospital room. Shiloh had become furious at the lawyer and told him that it was less than the monster had deserved. She was about to hang up on the man when he told her that Rotti had made up a new will not long before he had died and that she and her godmother would need to come to the tower for the reading. Once she had conferred with her father and Mag they set a time to go down and listen to what Rotti had done.

"I don't care what he left. I don't want any of it. I just want this whole thing to be over!" Mag protested as Nathan opened her car door for her. Nathan smiled at his fiancée and shook his head.

"I know. I do too." He said, kissing her one last time before they climbed in next to Shiloh. The drive to the tower was short, the ride in the elevator was long. By the time the doors opened to Rotti's office Shiloh and Mag were both ready to scream and Nathan was on edge. Her father placed and on her shoulder and whispered calming words before pushing her gently to the chairs in front of the desk.

The lawyer looked nervously at the Ex-RepoMan and greeted them, dropping down into his chair as soon as he had let go of Mag's hand and flipping open the folder that lay in front of him. Shiloh listened to the proceedings and a pit of anger grew.

"Everything in his estate, Miss Wallace, has been left to you. Your guardian is Mrs. Lar… I mean Miss Defoe until you are old enough to take over GeneCo's property and holdings."

Rotti had left her everything and had Mag stand as guardian of the estate until she old enough to take over.

'_As if he couldn't have just given it all to charity. Maybe then he would have somehow had some respect for him, but no. He had to leave it all to me'. _Shiloh thought. They thanked the lawyer for his time and signed all of the documents before leaving the building as fast as they could.

"I don't want any of it. Can we just... I don't know." Shiloh trailed off. Her father knew how much it hurt her to know what Rotti had done to his own children. To find out that he had changed his will after he had murdered them to leave everything to her, the child (and godchild) of his obsessions, was enough to make her sick to her stomach.

"We'll talk about it when we get home." Mag said as she met Shiloh's eyes in the rear view mirror. She felt Shiloh's anger coming off her in waves, and she knew this was not going to be easy to get over.

oOOo

A Few Months Later

Shiloh paced the hallway in front of her Mag's hospital room, stopping every now and again when she heard a yelp or a scream. She smiled when Mag's voice became loud enough that Shiloh could hear what she was yelling at Nathan.

"You are never touching me again!" This was followed by a very long scream. Shiloh laughed, Mag had decided to go for a natural birth and it sounded like she was regretting that decision. Grinning like an idiot Shiloh sat down in the chair outside the door.

A lot had happened over the last few months.

Her father had taken over Geneco, slowly making progress in turning it into the company that it should have been. Repossessions were illegal again; instead all violators were forced to be part of the cleanup crew for the city until they paid off their debt. It wasn't the perfect solution but for now it seemed to work. Mag and Shiloh had resumed their posts as being the voices of Geneco. Too much change too quickly was bound to breed chaos and this was the best way to get their message across.

Her father and Mag had gotten married in the countryside, in a small church they had both attended in their youth. There were only five people in attendance, and only one of those was a reporter. Shiloh had stood up with Mag and served as the witness to the marriage, pictures of them were everywhere once Cherry Harry had turned in the article. Mag had worn a simple dress that accented her slightly swollen stomach and Nathan had worn a suit (much to his chagrin) that actually belonged to him. Once again the minister was the same man that Nathan had saved all those months ago and this time, no one objected to the union.

Shiloh was shaken out of her memories by the door to the hospital room opening and the sound of an infant's squalling filled the hallway. She jumped up and was quickly assisted into an ugly green smock before she was allowed in to meet the newest member of her family. Entering the room Shiloh saw an exhausted Mag propped up against the raised mattress holding her little sister, covered in sweat and singing a soft lullaby to the baby girl, a smile as wide as her screams had been loud.

Nathan was standing next to the bed and had his arm wrapped around Mag's shoulders as he gazed down at his child. Mag looked up as Shiloh approached and gave her a tired smile, tears filled both their eyes as she was told her sisters name. "We've decided to call her Jocelyn."

oOOo

That's it folks, that's my version of how Repo! The Genetic Opera could have been and I hope you liked it. It has been said over on the SBOS that a certain fan had been waiting for a twist like mine during the movie and I am now glad to say that I have completed it.

My first-ever full length Fanfiction! Yay Me!

Thanks go to, first and foremost, my excellent Beta Reader and sometimes Co-Author. Tawnyleaf you are awesome! I couldn't have finished without your help! The rest of my thanks go to the readers that reviewed the story, and my friends over on the SBOS. Y'all rock!

Emengee

P.S. If I get enough response I may add a little extra something in one shot format. While I was waiting for my muse to quit belting out Sarah Brightman tunes at the top of her lungs (She's a HUGE fan, lol) or while my beta was editing chapters, I jotted down a few little special features. Once again please review!


	11. Author Note!

Alright everyone, I know I said that I would post something extra but due to a computer crash I have lost everything except what was posted here.

MAYJOR bummer.

After reading this through I decided to take it and work with it again. I have rewritten a few parts and am posting it on my blog, along with a new trailer (much better suited for the fic).

Check it out!

Http:// Things x You x See . Blogspot . com


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